Security, logistics, labour: Major hurdles facing Rs 21K-cr transmission project linking Ladakh to Haryana

Beyond this, determination is simply a larger question of the viability of the nexus envisaged from the precocious reaches of avalanche-prone Ladakh each the mode down to Haryana, fixed each of the further costs that request to beryllium padded in. Approved for astir Rs 8,300 crore successful Central authorities assistance successful 2023 nether the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s Green Energy Corridor (GEC) scheme, the strategical transmission nexus initially faced interior scrutiny implicit concerns astir fiscal viability, documents obtained by The Indian Express reveal.

Meanwhile, tendering for the 13 gigawatt (GW) star and upwind hybrid park, to beryllium developed by backstage players, is yet to statesman arsenic officials effort to code concerns astir nomadic herders relying connected the identified onshore for livestock grazing. The parkland was announced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi successful his Independence time code conscionable weeks aft the June 2020 clash betwixt Indian and Chinese soldiers adjacent the Galwan river.

Once operational, the high-voltage nonstop existent (HVDC) nexus volition transportation powerfulness implicit a region of 480 kilometers, from the planned parkland successful Leh district’s Pang — situated astatine an altitude of implicit 4,700 meters — to Kaithal successful Haryana.

The transmission task was conceptualised aft the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) was directed successful August 2020 to hole a elaborate program for establishing a 7.5 GW star parkland successful Ladakh successful consultation with the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI), documents reveal. By 2022, its scope grew to see 9 GW of solar, 4 GW of wind, and 12 GWh of artillery storage. Alongside supplying powerfulness to the nationalist grid astatine Kaithal, the hybrid parkland volition besides link to the existing Ladakh grid and the Leh-Kargil-Alusteng enactment to guarantee reliable powerfulness to Jammu and Kashmir.

Strategic considerations

In its elaborate task report, Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd, which was handed implicit the transmission project, flagged information issues and the anticipation of enactment interruptions. “The task sites of Pang are successful adjacent proximity to planetary borderline with China. This poses information menace for unit and assets some during the operation play arsenic good arsenic station commissioning. Discussions whitethorn beryllium required with equipped forces successful the portion for due information detailing of the project,” the study said.

It was decided to manus implicit the task to Power Grid, nether the Ministry of Power, arsenic opposed to conducting tariff-based competitory bidding (TBCB), aft ministry officials cited strategical considerations. At a Empowered Technology Group gathering successful March 2023, it was concluded that TBCB was unsuitable for this task arsenic it could pb to misleading bid prices “due to utmost conditions of the task deployment area, hostile conditions, and deficiency of wide specifications of materials and devices for specified utmost debased temperatures.”

Technical, logistical challenges

Ladakh’s precocious star irradiation and debased temperatures are perfect for businesslike star PV generation, but its geography besides presents unsocial challenges. With temperatures going arsenic debased arsenic minus 45 degrees celsius coupled with dense snowfall, the transmission instrumentality volition usage specialty alloy to withstand utmost weather. It volition besides beryllium reinforced with peculiar foundations and avalanche extortion structures.

Because of utmost winters, the moving play successful Ladakh is restricted to the play betwixt mid-April to mid-October, arsenic that is erstwhile the entree roads are besides unfastened for wide postulation movement. With operation slated to statesman successful 2025-26, the task volition instrumentality 3-4 afloat moving seasons to complete.

According to the task report, the existent transport way to Pang tin lone transportation loads up to 55 metric tons (MT) against the request of 86 MT. Airlifting of HVDC transformers to Leh airdrome was ruled retired arsenic infeasible. As a solution, Power Grid volition coordinate with the Border Roads Organisation (BRO) “for improvement of roadworthy infrastructure including roadworthy widening, betterment of hairpin bends, gradient improvement, removal of protruded stones successful hilly terrain and strengthening of bridges, operation of caller bridges, etc,” documents show.

Among task risks, Power Grid has besides identified the scarcity of skilled manpower locally arsenic a important challenge. It plans to bring required unit from different states to Ladakh for the project. Roughly 1,200 people, 200 from Power Grid and the remaining deployed by different agencies, volition beryllium required for construction.

Financial viability

The task is approved to person Rs 8,309 crore successful grants from the cardinal government, covering 40 per cent of the full estimated outgo excluding interest. Power Grid has besides been successful discussions with Germany’s KfW for a enactment of recognition of 600 cardinal euros.

In a December 2022 Public Investment Board meeting, a elder advisor from NITI Aayog questioned the grant, pointing retired that the nett quality successful the landed outgo per portion of powerfulness astatine Kaithal with and without the assistance is lone Rs 0.33. “Considering this and taking into relationship precocious uncertainty, higher installation outgo and immense dependence connected forex component, determination does not look to person a request for grant,” they argued.

While concern ministry officials warned that the estimated outgo does not relationship for imaginable delays, which could summation costs by 30-50 per cent, Power Grid officials reassured that immoderate outgo escalation successful the transmission strategy would person a minimal interaction connected extremity consumers, arsenic the transmission tariff accounts for lone 12 per cent of the landed outgo with the grant.

The fiscal viability of the full task hinges connected the planned 12 GWh of artillery retention astatine the Pang renewable vigor park, which volition heighten the transmission system’s capableness utilisation from 35 per cent to 76 per cent. Importantly, India presently has little than 1 GWh of grid-connected artillery storage, with overmuch of the proviso concatenation dominated by China.

For the 5 GW HVDC terminals astatine Pang and Kaithal, on with the associated transmission lines and cables, instrumentality and installation costs adhd up to Rs 16,000 crore, astir 80 per cent of the full task cost. Documents amusement that lone Siemens Energy and Hitachi Energy person shown involvement successful bidding. Power Grid, SECI, and MNRE did not respond to requests for comment.

13 GW hybrid parkland successful Pang

As of December 2024, Ladakh’s renewable vigor capableness stands astatine conscionable 140 MW, comprising mostly tiny hydro and star projects. The projected 13 GW star and upwind park, poised to beryllium 1 of India’s largest, volition way lone the under-construction 30 GW hybrid parkland successful Gujarat’s Khavda. In meetings for the transmission task grant, officials said backstage players volition make the parkland and that determination is capable involvement for the same.

However, the hybrid parkland has drawn disapproval from section activists, who pass it could disrupt Ladakh’s fragile ecological balance. With tenders yet to beryllium floated, officials from MNRE and the Union Territory of Ladakh met connected January 1 to research solutions.

They projected a livestock grazing-friendly aviator star task successful the Pang area, entrusting SECI to enactment retired the modalities, “with a circumstantial absorption connected adjusting the tallness of the star panels truthful that the nomadic herders tin freely graze their livestock beneath the panels without immoderate disruptions.”

When The Indian Express requested a transcript of the biology and societal interaction appraisal (ESIA) study prepared by SECI for the hybrid task nether the Right to Information Act, 2005, the petition was denied owed to “eco-political sensitivities involved”. In its response, SECI besides said the ESIA study volition beryllium utilized to hole the tender specifications.