India Clears Massive Renewable Energy Facility

• The Indian government has cleared the power evacuation plans for a 13 GW renewable energy project in Ladakh 
• The InSTS GEC-II project will ensure the power generated is connected to the national grid 
• Through interconnections, it will also supply power locally to Ladakh as well as Jammu & Kashmir 

Initially proposed to host a 7.5 GW solar park, the Union Territory of Ladakh has been found to host the potential for 13 GW renewable energy generation capacity which has now been cleared by the federal government. 

The potential found after extensive field study is said to contribute to the federal goal of 500 GW non-fossil fuel power capacity for India by 2030. 

The project will be accompanied by a 12 GWh battery energy storage system (BESS) in Pang, Ladakh. 

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given the green signal to the Green Energy Corridor (GEC) Phase II Interstate Transmission System (InSTS GEC-II) project to facilitate the evacuation of power generated.  

Transmission line for the same will pass through Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, up to Kaithal in Haryana to be integrated with the national grid. Additionally, the project planners have planned an interconnection from this project in Leh to the existing Ladakh grid to ensure reliable power supply locally. It will also be connected to Leh-Alusteng-Srinagar line to provide power to Jammu & Kashmir.  

A few years back in 2018, the Minister for the New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) RK Singh pegged the potential solar capacity for Ladakh at 35 GW. The government had also announced plans to deploy 23 GW grid connected ultra-mega solar PV capacity in Pang, which was previously the part of Jammu & Kashmir before Ladakh was made a union territory (see India Plans 23 GW Solar PV For Jammu & Kashmir).