J&K | Power shortage
Centre allocates 1,972 MW additional power to Jammu Kashmir to meet shortages during winter
New Delhi: The government has allocated 1500 MW of power from the Central pool to Jammu Kashmir to cover the shortages during the winter months, the Ministry of Power said in a statement.
In a meeting with Union Power Minister R. K. Singh, Jammu Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha informed that the power demand in Jammu Kashmir has already reached around 2800 MW with a deficit of approximately 1400 MW.
Jammu Kashmir will also get an additional, 472 MW under Shakti policy, for which, a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the Power department of J&K is proposed to be signed by the end of December 2023, the ministry said.
Overall, 1972 MW of additional allocation has been made available by the Central government to take care of the urgent power requirement of Jammu Kashmir.
Image courtesy: PIB
The minister directed the officers of the Ministry of Power to ensure adequate allocation of Power to the UT of J&K to meet the rising demand.
The Power Minister reviewed various programmes of the Ministry of Power being implemented in Jammu Kashmir, under Central Sector Schemes.
He instructed the concerned agencies to expedite the ongoing projects related to transmission lines, smart meters and other distribution infrastructure works.
He directed that all the remaining projects should be awarded by the end of December 2023 and also that completion of all the ongoing projects should be ensured as per the schedule.
It was informed that the Ministry of Power under various programmes like PMDP, PMRP and RDSS has already sanctioned Rs 10691 crores for strengthening of the power systems in the UT of J&K.
It was reported that more than 4.25 lakh smart pre-paid meters have already been installed under PMDP and RDSS schemes and that a remarkable improvement in the billing and collection efficiency has been noticed in these areas. 100% smart pre-paid metering is targeted to be achieved by 2025-26.
The Power Minister appreciated the efforts made by the UT in the implementation of various programmes of the Ministry of Power, Government of India, which has resulted in drastic reduction of AT&C losses in the UT since 2019.
Singh said that the power generation capacity in J&K will be doubled in the coming 3-4 years.
He added that 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 either stalled or could not commence due to various issues for past so many years have now been fast-tracked and are fully on track for completion before 2026.
In addition, MoUs between the Centre and the Union Territory of Jammu Kashmir have been signed, for the development of 4 more Mega Hydel Projects worth Rs 29,600 crores, with a total capacity of 3,284 MW.
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