Centre Allocates 1972 MW Additional Power to J&K to Meet Winter Electricity Demand

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 9th Dec. Lieutenant Governor of Jammu & Kashmir Manoj Sinha met with Union Power & NRE Minister R. K. Singh, in New Delhi last evening to discuss the increasing power demand in the region.

The demand for power in Jammu & Kashmir has reached around 2800 MW during the current winter season, with a deficit of approximately 1400 MW.

Sinha requested the Union Power Minister to allocate more power to the region.

The Minister informed the LG that the Ministry of Power has already allocated 1500 MW from the Central pool to meet the winter requirements of Jammu & Kashmir.

Additionally, 472 MW has been allocated under the Shakti policy, and a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Power department of Jammu & Kashmir is proposed to be signed by the end of December 2023.

Overall, the Central government has made an additional allocation of 1972 MW to address the urgent power requirement of the region.
The Minister directed the officers of the Ministry of Power to ensure sufficient power allocation to Jammu & Kashmir to meet the rising demand.

R. K. Singh also reviewed various programmes of the Ministry of Power being implemented in Jammu & Kashmir under Central Sector Schemes. He instructed the concerned agencies to expedite ongoing projects related to transmission lines, smart meters, and other distribution infrastructure works.

He emphasized that all remaining projects should be awarded by the end of December 2023 and that the completion of ongoing projects should be ensured as per the schedule.

The Ministry of Power has already sanctioned Rs. 10691 crores for strengthening the power systems in Jammu & Kashmir under various programmes like PMDP, PMRP, and RDSS. More than 4.25 lakh smart pre-paid meters have been installed under these schemes, leading to a significant improvement in billing and collection efficiency. The goal is to achieve 100% smart pre-paid metering by 2025-26.

The Power Minister commended the efforts made by Jammu & Kashmir in implementing various programmes of the Ministry of Power, resulting in a drastic reduction of AT&C losses since 2019.

He informed the LG that the power generation capacity in Jammu & Kashmir will be doubled in the next 3-4 years.

Four Mega Hydro Electric Projects with a total capacity of 3,014 MW, namely PakalDul (1,000MW), Kiru (624 MW), Kwar (540 MW), and Ratle (830 MW), which were previously stalled or faced delays, are now on track for completion before 2026.

Additionally, MoUs have been signed between the Government of India and the Government of Jammu & Kashmir for the development of 4 more Mega Hydel Projects worth ₹ 29,600 crores, with a total capacity of 3,284 MW.

The LG requested the Power Minister to allocate additional funds under RDSS for further upgrading and modernizing the distribution infrastructure in Jammu & Kashmir, including the replacement of outdated conductors, transformers, and poles.

R. K. Singh advised the LG to submit proposals in this regard and assured him that the Ministry will consider the proposal positively for the development of Jammu & Kashmir.