SRINAGAR, FEB 27: The Jammu and Kashmir government is making concerted efforts to harness the union territory’s immense hydroelectric potential. Recently, the administration partnered with state-owned NHPC Limited to develop several large hydroelectric projects, including the 624 MW Kiru project, 850 MW Ratle project, 1000 MW Pakal Dul project and 540 MW Kwar project.
A senior power department official said that central government has so far provided Rs 1,300 crore to the union territory as equity contribution for the Kiru, Kwar and Ratle hydro projects. By expanding the installed hydro capacity from 3,500 MW to about 6,500 MW, the administration aims to capitalize on Jammu and Kashmir’s natural advantage in hydro resources and lower electricity purchase costs. Work on these hydro plants is progressing rapidly.
Additionally, the government signed memorandums of understanding with NHPC Limited to develop four more large hydro projects – Sawalkote (1,856 MW), Dul Hasti stage-II (258 MW), Uri-I stage-II (240 MW) and Kirthai-II (930 MW). Together, these four projects will add 3,284 MW of new hydro capacity. Investments worth Rs 50,000 crore are expected to flow into Jammu and Kashmir through these projects. The union territory also stands to gain from free power, assured long-term power supply, multiplier economic effects and job creation.
In the transmission sector, grid capacity additions during 2019-24 include 1,940 MVA at the 220 KV level through augmentation of 8 grid substations and 2,080 MVA at the 132 KV level via 30 substations. About 467 km of new transmission lines have been erected. In distribution, 1,753 MVA was added at 66-33 KV by augmenting 266 substations while 10,953 km of new HT/LT lines were laid down. Distribution transformer capacity rose by 1,255 MVA via 9,071 units at the 11 kV level.
In a first, the Gurez Valley in northern Kashmir has been connected to the national electricity grid after independence. This 150% expansion in transmission capacity since 2019 has already enabled electricity access to remote villages and meeting higher demand. Over 4.6 lakh smart meters have been installed under a distribution loss reduction and network improvement initiative. The Jammu and Kashmir administration has also been developing small hydropower projects and solar power to tap into its renewable energy potential. Rooftop solar installations have come up on government buildings in Jammu and Srinagar under the science and technology department.
