New hydropower projects on cards for J&K: Union Power Secretary

Srinagar, Oct 3: Stating that Jammu and Kashmir is set to see further development in its hydropower sector, Union Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal, on Saturday said the Centre is considering new projects, including Sawalkot, to harness the Union Territory’s vast hydropower potential.
Agarwal told reporters here that the ongoing hydropower projects in J&K are making good progress and would help meet the Union Territory’s power requirements and would also contribute to the electricity needs of the rest of the country.
The Union Power Secretary said the Centre is already making progress on major hydropower projects in J&K, including Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kiroo and Kwar and that the projects would help meet not only the Union Territory’s electricity demand but also contribute to the power requirements of the rest of the country. “We are thinking about Sawalkot. We definitely want to work on this project in the future,” Agarwal said.
He said the Centre is working in collaboration with J&K through the Chenab Valley Corporation Ltd and is receiving full support from the UT administration.
“We are already working on big projects like Rasle, Pakaldol, Kiroo, Kwar. And we are making good progress. And we are getting the full support of the UT administration. We will also think about other new projects,” he said.
Asked about J&K’s dependence on power supplied from outside despite identifying around 14,500 MW of hydropower potential, Agarwal said the ongoing projects would help address the issue.
“All these projects that I have told you about are in your UT. And they will not only meet your demand, but will also meet the demand of the rest of the country,” he said.
On the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana, Agarwal said around 50 lakh people across the country had joined the programme so far, while J&K had achieved its first milestone of 100 MW. “Jammu and Kashmir has achieved the first milestone of 100 megawatts. Once the momentum is there, the progress will definitely be fast,” he said.
He said J&K had made a good start under the rooftop solar programme and was now reaching the take-off stage. “J&K has made a good start in PM Suryagar. And it takes time to build momentum in the beginning. Once the momentum builds up, it will take off,” Agarwal said.
He said Srinagar, Budgam and Kupwara are doing “extremely well”, while Baramulla and Bandipora were lagging. He said the subsidy disbursement system under the scheme was completely portal-driven and the flow of central government subsidy directly to beneficiaries had been smooth.
He also said the issue of better streamlining of the UT’s top-up subsidy would be discussed with the Chief Secretary. Agarwal said 164 GW of solar capacity is connected to ground-mounted solar nationally, with states such as Rajasthan, Gujarat, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh using ground-mounted solar extensively.
Earlier, Agarwal visited the Seva Setu Abhiyan Camp being organised under the PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana in Srinagar, where he inspected stalls and help desks and interacted with vendors providing services related to the scheme.
KPDCL Managing Director Mahmood Ahmad Shah briefed him on the implementation of the scheme in the region and initiatives aimed at facilitating public access to rooftop solar-related services. The Seva Setu Abhiyan Camp is aimed at strengthening public outreach, facilitating citizen-centric service delivery and creating awareness among citizens about the benefits of rooftop solar under the scheme. (KNO)