The Central government is planning to raise the capacity of the proposed solar park in Ladakh to 10GW from 7.5GW announced earlier.

“We are planning to raise the capacity to 10GW because the transmission line comes in multiples of 5GW,” a senior official aware of the development told BusinessLine . “The area has a very high potential, but we are starting with 10GW.” The project will also have an adjoining wind generation capacity of 3.33GW, another official told BusinessLine .

Carbon-neutral region

During his Indpendence Day speech last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the 7.5 GW project as a major milestone in the goal to turn Ladakh into the country’s first carbon-neutral region.

“Land for 10 GW has already been identified, but setting up the transmission line will be a major bottleneck,” the second official said, adding that the new transmission line needs to be taken to Ladakh from beyond Manali in Himachal Pradesh.

At avalanche-prone areas in Ladakh, transmission cables will be placed under ground.

Terrain challenge

“The building of the transmission line for the project should take around four to five years. PGCIL is making the detailed project report (DPR) and they will determine the final deadline,” the official added.

The DPR is expected to be completed by March, the second official said, after which the Centre would need to give a final nod to the project cost.

The estimated cost is around ₹40,000 crore, which will be funded through viability gap funding by diverting the funds allotted for the Green energy Corridor project, the official added.

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