NPG nod to Solar Park in Ladakh with Rs 20,700 cr investment

Project to get Rs 8300 cr Central support

Excelsior Correspondent

JAMMU, Mar 25: The Network Planning Group (NPG), a body under PM Gati Shakti, has given nod to construction of Solar Park in the Union Territory of Ladakh with an investment of Rs 20,700 crore which include the Central support of Rs 8300 crore.
Approval of the project will help realize the target of 500 GW capacity from non-fossil fuels by the year 2030 in Ladakh, official sources told the Excelsior.
The project was part of Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s budget address after it was first announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his Independence Day speech in 2020.
The NPG approved 7500 MW Solar Park in Ladakh by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy envisaging an Inter-State Transmission System for Renewable Energy Projects in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
The project has 2026 as deadline for completion and is expected to generate employment and boost economy of Ladakh. It will also bring down the carbon emissions.
The project comprises state-of-the-art VSC based HVDC terminals at Pang in Leh and Kaithal in Haryana along with a 350 kV HVDC line.
The project enables evacuation and grid integration of 13 GW RE through a 5 GW transmission system. With a first of its kind system in the world, a transmission utilization of 76% is expected, the officials said.
“The project will facilitate in abating carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions of the order of 26 million tonnes per year,” the officials said.
They said the project is a big step towards achieving the Government of India’s target of 500 GW capacity from non – fossil fuels by the year 2030.
The project was examined and recommended by the Network Planning Group under PM Gati Shakti at its 45th session.
The meeting was chaired by the Special Secretary, Logistics Division, DPIIT and saw active participation of senior officials from key member Ministries and departments including Department of Telecommunication (DoT), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Ministry of Railways, Ministry of Ports, Shipping and Waterways, Ministry of Civil Aviation, Ministry of Power, NITI Aayog, Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Ministry of New and Renewable Energy.