The Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 220 kV Srinagar-Drass-Kargil-Khaltsi-Leh Transmission System, in a step towards powering Ladakh and connecting the country’s northern most part to the National Grid. He commented, “I got the opportunity of laying the foundation stone of this project and today, again, I have got the opportunity to dedicate this project. With this over Rs 2,000 crore project, the problem of electricity in Leh-Ladakh is going to be minimised.”
The PM had laid the foundation stone for this project on August 12, 2014 and within 4.5 years, the project has been successfully completed.
Built at a height of around 3000-4000 meters, this approximately 335 km long transmission line has been constructed by the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (POWERGRID), a Navratna company of the Government of India, under the Ministry of Power. Under this project, the four new state-of-the-art 220/66 kV Gas Insulated Sub-stations built at Drass, Kargil, Khaltsi and Leh, will help to ensure 24x7 quality power in all weather conditions.
This project will not only help evacuate surplus power of the Kargil and Leh Hydel stations of NHPC in summers, but will also supply power to the region in winters when temperatures dip and the hydro electricity generation does not match up. The project will meet the power demand of Ladakh region at economical rates.
This transmission project of approximately Rs 2,266 crore will result in minimising the massive use of diesel generating sets during winters, and thus will not only help in protecting the environment, but will also save on the import expenditure in foreign currency, which is being incurred on crude oil, thereby benefiting the state exchequer. It will also give a boost to the tourism sector, especially the hospitality industry in Ladakh, as quality electricity at reasonable rates will be accessible due to non-reliance on diesel.
This task executed by POWERGRID in unforeseen weather conditions was made possible by immaculate project monitoring skills, high team spirit and strategic planning and with the use of modern technologies. The line remains snow covered for nearly six months with the minimum temperature going down to as low as -40 degree Celsius at Drass. Therefore, specially designed tower foundations were constructed with the assistance from the Snow and Avalanche Study Establishment (SASE) to spo the tower foundations, as the work force braved the challenge of working at lesser oxygen levels.
The event, where the PM made the announcement, during his recent visit to Jammu and Kashmir, was attended by Satya Pal Malik, the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir, Dr Jitendra Singh, Union Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region along with Haji Anayat Ali, Chairman, Legislative Council, Jammu and Kashmir, Jamyang Tsering Namgial, Chairman/Chief Executive Councillor, LAHDC, Feroz Ahmed, Chairman, LAHDC, Kargil, and Chering Dorjay, Member of Legislative Council, Leh.