Ladakh’s 13 GW Solar Dream Alive, Rs. 1,080 Cr Awarded For RDSS: Power Minister

Ladakh Has 13 GW Solar Projects Underway , Rs. 1,080 Cr Awarded: Minister

Union Minister of Power and Housing and Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, reviewed the functioning of the power and housing departments during a three-day visit to Ladakh at Leh, Union Territory (UT). The minister was also briefed on the much delayed 13 GW solar plans for Ladakh, something he duly shared with the media as well. Currently, Ladakh has 7.80 MW of total solar capacity (Till October 2024) this year. The GW scale solar plans have been moving at a glacial speed ever since they were first floated in 2018-19. Issues have ranged from costs, transmission capacity usage (due to low demand in Ladakh itself), land acquisition and environmental worries.  Considering everything, at SaurEnergy, we believe expecting the project itself to be up and about by 2030 might be a more realistic assessment, assuming other issues get resolved.

Talking about the Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) in the UT, the Minister said that works amounting to ₹1,080 crore have already been awarded, and activities have commenced. Manohar Lal stated that power supply and distribution lines up to Nubra Valley and Zanskar Valley will be set up expeditiously, which will be of great help in meeting the energy requirements of these regions. He added that all efforts are being made on a war footing to remove the bottlenecks associated with the projects.

Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme Overview

The Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) was launched by the Indian government earlier this year to improve the quality and reliability of power supply to consumers through a financially sustainable and operationally efficient distribution sector. The scheme has a total outlay of ₹3,03,758 crore and includes a gross budgetary support of ₹97,631 crore from the Indian government over five years, from 2021–22 to FY 2025–26.

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RDSS has universal coverage and mainly focuses on strengthening the sub-transmission and distribution network in project areas for the benefit of consumers. In line with its commitment, the Central Government is further supporting states in electrifying households that were missed under SAUBHAGYA through the ongoing Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS). Additionally, all identified PVTG (Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups) households under PM-JANMAN will be eligible for funding under RDSS as per the scheme guidelines for on-grid electricity connections.