The Centre is in the process of coming out with a single bid for setting up a storage linked solar power project in Ladakh.

“Ladakh has the highest potential, of about 35,000 MW, for solar power in India. So we are talking about coming out with one bid of 25,000 MW with storage,” said Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Power and Renewable Energy, RK Singh. He was speaking at a NITI Aayog conference on government and business partnership on fast tracks for the 2030 agenda: Water, Energy and Green Industry and said the power generated from this proposed project will be delivered at Nagpur.

Singh also said the demand for power in the country is growing at a pace that ensures that newer renewable energy generation capacity is consumed.

He said, “The demand has been growing at a rate of about 6 per cent and is expected to grow much faster. So what we are adding in terms of renewable power is not actually displacing any established generating systems, it is meeting the additional demand. Because the way our demand is growing, coal production also needs to keep pace with the generation requirements.”

On the back of higher generation, the Centre will push for making load shedding illegal by the State government-run power distribution companies.