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.
