The Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) officials recently met with the additional deputy commissioner (ADC) of Leh to arrange a visit to assess the land for the upcoming 5,000 MW of solar power projects at Leh.

During the visit, the land parcels of more than 10,000 hectares along the riverside of the Indus, starting from Nyoma to Lal Pahari in Hanle, were shown to the district administration team which comprised officials from Ladakh Renewable Energy Development Agency (LREDA), revenue department, forest department, Indian Astronomical Observatory based at Hanle and Sub Divisional Magistrate of Nyoma. The sites at Chuchul could not be covered in the visit, but the details were shared with the district administration to assess the sites on their own.

However, the allotment of land will be delayed due to the ongoing general elections, and more details of the land parcels with actual coordinates will be made available after May 20, 2019.

“In the meanwhile, prospective bidders may visit these sites on their own for a preliminary assessment. Nyoma is approximately 180 km from Leh and requires almost 3.5-4 hours of travel by road. Hanle is another 80 odd kilometers from Nyoma, which is around a 2-hour journey,” said SECI.

The site visits for 2,500 MW of solar power projects at Kargil will only be possible after May 2019.

Earlier, Mercom reported about the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy’s (MNRE) new plan for the implementation of 23 GW of ultra-mega solar projects in the Leh and Ladakh regions of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Request for Selection for the development of 7,500 MW of grid-connected solar power projects in Leh and Kargil districts of Jammu & Kashmir was issued in January 2019.

Phase-I of the project would entail setting up 2,500 MW Solar PV Capacity in Kargil region and 5,000 MW in Leh district.

The total capacity of 7,500 MW was divided into three packages of 2,500 MW each.  The package-A would be set up in the areas tentatively identified in Zanskar sub-division and Tai Suru block of Kargil district. Packages B and C would be developed at Hanley Khaldo area of Nyoma sub-division in the Leh district.

Recently, Mercom also reported that MNRE, SECI, and the Leh and Kargil district administrations met with the stakeholders to discuss the implementation of the projects and clarify the developers’ issues.

Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism & Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. More articles from Nitin Kabeer