J&K to Purchase 200 MW Solar Power from SECI for Next 25 Years

The Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Administrative Council, which met under the chairmanship of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday, approved the purchase of 200 MW solar power through the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) to meet growing power demand and promote the use of green and clean energy in Jammu and Kashmir, according to a recent announcement.

The decision will reportedly allow the purchase of renewable energy at an estimated cost of Rs 2.52 per kWh for the next 25 years, which is by far the lowest rate ever offered to J&K.

Accordingly, the Power Department has been given financial approval for Rs 110.37 crore per annum for purchasing electricity from SECI.

The envisaged purchase of additional power is expected to help Jammu Kashmir Power Corporation ltd (JKPCL) to partially meet the Renewable Purchase Obligation (RPO) as fixed by the Ministry of Power (MoP), Government of India (GoI), besides ensuring enhanced power reliability due to diversity in the power bucket of J&K.

The decision will also prioritise the generation and usage of renewable solar energy in consonance with the national endeavour of promoting green energy for a reduction in carbon footprints and mitigating global warming.

It is expected that with the addition of this power, the JKPCL will be better placed to meet the increasing power demand which went up from 18091.386 MU during 2020-21 to 19500-2000 MU in the current financial year.

The power development department claims to have been working towards ensuring 24×7 reliable electricity in major cities and towns in Jammu and Kashmir by augmenting assets both at transmission and distribution levels under various centrally sponsored schemes.

It is anticipated that with the completion of the major ongoing flagship programmes, the energy requirement will further grow and touch the 22000 MU-mark, thus creating a demand for an additional, stable, and reliable supply of 300-500 MW power.

J&K offers a strong opportunity for solar power, but issues linked to stability there, as well as high transmission losses and grid quality have prevented the state from reaching anything close to its potential. The state, which has a higher per capita income on average, is also among the higher per capita consumers of power, with almost 1350 units per annum of consumption. With a rooftop solar target of over 450 MW for 2022, besides the odd planned experiment such as India’s largest agrivoltaic plant where saffron cultivation will be combined with solar, the state, one hopes finally sees some progress in 2022, besides generating a higher share of its power within the state.