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LIGHTING UP LADAKH Realizing the importance of off-grid energy solutions in the context of unique geographical reality A LEGAL BRIEF Mohd Shawahiq Siddiqui Shilpa Chohan Sanjay Upadhyay Enviro Legal Defence Firm 278, II Floor, Sector-15 A NOIDA ELDF-HBF initiative on: 'Implementing National Solar Mission in India' Need for an effective Legal and Institutional Response This publication has been supported by the Heinrich Boll Foundation, India DESIGN EDITOR : ANANDA BANERJEE / PROJECT PHOTOGRAPHS: SHILPA CHOHAN IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION ISSUES AND WAY FORWARD FOR SOLAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE LADAKH REGION-2011 LIGHTING UP LADAKH JAMMU AND KASHMIR: STATE CONTEXT AND THE and energy loss due to high amount transmis- ELECTRICITY SCENARIO sion and distribution losses in extending the grid to these areas. Though the State Electricity ne of the significant ways to bring stability in Regulatory Commission Act, 20003 has been Othe otherwise disturbed state of Jammu and enacted and the State Electricity Regulatory Kashmir is to create development opportunities Commission has been set up in 20064 with the for improving socio-economic condition of peo- Jammu and Kashmir Power Development ple and quality of life which are primarily depend- Corporation Ltd5, the power scenario in the ent on the energy potential available in the state. state especially in the rural electrification is far On that account the power sector in Jammu & from being satisfactory. Therefore there is a Kashmir is one of the most underdeveloped sec- need to promote off-grid energy solutions con- tors in the state and has been unable to keep sidering the cost of huge transmission and dis- pace with the growing demand. Its supply to ulti- tribution losses mate consumers has also been poor. In addition to this large unexplored hydro potential, inade- quate transmission and distribution network, STATUS OF RURAL ELECTRIFICATION IN J&K: huge transmission and distribution (T&D) losses, low power tariff, power thefts as well as long ges- ashmir has 6477 inhabited villages of which tation period of the power projects have con- Kmore than 654 villages and 1678 hamlets tributed to the dismal situation. are un-electrified6&7. The reliable statistics on An assessment of the load, consumption, distri- exact number of un-electrified villages in bution and purchase of power by the state gov- Ladakh is not known. The reason stated for no ernment in the last fifteen years shows that the or slow electrification in Jammu and Kashmir is local existing capacity in the state could meet that most of the villages are remote, sparsely one third of the total demand only. Its is also populated and inaccessible. It is also cited that estimated that the total requirement of power is the most of the remote villages in Kashmir do going to increase as compared to previous not fulfill the viability norms of the Rural years, which leaves a deficit of roughly 702 Electrification Corporation (REC) loan MW1 . Statistics also show that there is an Assistance which is the central assistance pro- increased consumption of power in the domes- vided by the Government of India for rural elec- tic sector which has surfaced as the biggest trification8. Though the number of rural electrifi- consumer in the state in the last decade fol- cation schemes in the state had increased from lowed by agriculture and industry and the 137 to 189 in the 10th five year plan9 and it is demand is likely to increase manifold if the grid carried forward in the 11th Plan, there seems to is extended to rural areas. As it is known that be very insignificant progress in this area. the supply of power is measured by its own generation within the state, gross generation of It is also noteworthy that village electrification power in the state is only 8.6 per cent of the was made a part of the Prime Minister's total energy available as the remaining supply Gramodya Yojna (PMGY) from the year 2001-02. is obtained from power purchase from the The funds for this program now flow to the state Central Government and other sources2. in the form of central assistance. Allocation under PMGY to Jammu and Kashmir was to the Huge Transmission and Distribution Loses: tune of Rs.19.60 crore in the 10th Plan (2002- Need for Off Grid energy solutions in the context 2007) and very less work has commenced since of unique geographical reality then. The State Power Report in the year 2001 took into account T&D losses in the state and As discussed above, within the Kashmir region accounted that T&D losses were as high as 47.5 there are several remote and inaccessible areas per cent. These losses include transformation where grid has not reached. Ladakh is being losses as well as unaccountable consumption, one such and largest region with the presence of which latter of strategically important Leh and Kargil regions accounts for more than half of the losses. Given and an unique governance system falling with this reality it can be estimated that if grid is in the twin Autonomous Councils, faces acute extended to remote and inaccessible areas, power shortage and specially in some of the there is going to be huge amount of financial remote and areas and that are not easily accis- IMPLEMENTING THE NATIONAL SOLAR MISSION ISSUES AND WAY FORWARD FOR SOLAR ENERGY DEVELOPMENT IN THE LADAKH REGION-2011 LIGHTING UP LADAKH sible. Even if the region is connected to the 2025. Further the Vision Document also states that Northern Grid in accordance with Prime Minister's the current installed generation capacity in Ladakh Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) for Ladakh10, the cost is 13.5 (8.7 diesel, 4.8 hydel)13. Clearly, the power for the grid power is going to be exceptionally high deficient situation in Ladakh is alarming. The other due to the huge transmission and distribution loss- reality is the power supply cut for long hours. The es. Therefore there is a need to understand the current situation is that an average household in unique geographical and climatic reality of the Ladakh gets only a few hours of electricity every Ladakh region and available energy options differ- day. Needless to add that this scenario on extreme ently in a manner so as to create energy self suffi- power poverty needs to change for the better in this ciency locally by utilizing natural resources such as very important and strategic geo-political region. solar or hydro potential in the region. It would thus be important to look at the current scenario and potential energy challenges that the Ladakh region CONNECTING LADAKH TO THE NORTHERN faces today. GRID-NEED TO REVISIT THE PLAN IN THE INTEREST OF PRIORITIZING LOCAL SOLUTIONS AND IN THE INTEREST OF PRIOR- LADAKH: AVAILABLE ENERGY POTENTIAL AND ITIZING LOCAL SOLUTIONS RESOURCES Connecting Ladakh, the cold desert region in the country with the Northern Grid for meeting its elec- he way forward for energy development in the tricity requirement was mooted about 4-5 years TLadakh region has to be understood in the con- back and the scheme was also included in the text of available natural resources and energy Prime Minister's Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) potential in the region and the portion of it that can announced by Dr Manmohan Singh during his first be used for lighting up most remote and not easily tenure as Prime Minister. Subsequently, the Power accessible areas in the region where grid cannot Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) started reach. Owing to the immense hydro potential in the survey for proposed transmission line. However, the region, hydel energy is considered as the main and scheme was dropped as the then Government cheapest source of energy available in the state11. bartered the transmission line in lieu of two hydro The Hydro potential in Ladakh is estimated to be electric projects-Nimo Bazgo in Leh and Chutuk in more than 1000 MW of which 90 MW is currently Kargil districts, which it considered was the immedi- used by the two recently installed hydro projects in ate necessity. Later it was realized that in winter Nimo Bazgo and Chutuk. Thermal energy is used months, the electricity generation from Chutuk as as standby to back the hydel plants whose genera- well as Nimo Bazgo hydroelectric projects will tion capabilities fall during winter season due to low come down to 10 Mega Watts thereby creating river discharge12. Ladakh also receives abundant huge shortfall in the demand and supply. Thereafter sunlight which provides unique opportunities for it was also realized that both the hydro electric proj- the power sector, yet Ladakh is a power deficient ects, would be able to meet the electricity require- region, despite the tremendous need of power due ment of Ladakh region up to certain extent only. to strategic importance and local energy needs. In Further, as per the estimates of the Planning addition to this the region has immense potential for Commission the idea of having the twin power sta- tourism which currently relies on diesel generated tions is an expensive idea for reasons that the proj- power, thus adding environmental cost in the frag- ect would be generating the most expensive ener- ile ecosystem in the region. gy (over Rs 10 a unit). The government sources also state that in view of the restriction imposed by the Indus Water Treaty no pondage is allowed on POWER AND ENERGY SCENARIO AS PER THE river Indus. As a result of this, the generation will LADAKH VISION 2025 drop down to less than one third of the installed capacity during winter due to low discharge in the he present demand for power in Ladakh is 59 river.