India eyes 23GW of solar projects in mountainous Ladakh region

A contract to set up and implement the projects will be awarded to a single developer.

India’s Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) unveiled its plan to install 23GW of grid-connected solar PV projects in the high-altitude regions in the Leh and Ladakh regions of Jammu & Kashmir, the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) revealed.

According to an announcement, the first phase of installation will involve the setting up of 2,500MW solar PV capacity in the Kargil region and 5,000MW to be set up in the Leh district.

The scope of work comprises the setting up of the solar PV projects, from the implementation of the entire power evacuation infrastructure (substations along with transmission lines) up to the drawl point. SECI will issue a single tender for the project developer.

The tender documents are likely to be issued by 15 December 2018.

Tentatively, the projects are planned to be set up in the Pang region in Leh and in the Zangla region in Kargil. The drawl point for the 2,500 MW project is tentatively planned to be located in New Wanpoh. Meanwhile, the drawl point for the 5,000 MW capacity is planned to be located in Hisar.

The Business Standard reported that peak demand of Ladakh is 200MW, met by its current installed capacity of hydro and rooftop solar and microgrids. The cost of solar projects in this region could escalate to more than Rs 6-7 per unit. The current lowest tariff for solar is Rs 2.44 per unit.  

Photo by Jochen Westermann from München, Germany - Wolken Berge Wasser Wiese, CC BY-SA 2.0