‘J&K relies 85% on coal, solar power from other states in winter’: PDD official

By: Riyaz Bhat

Srinagar, Feb 20: Amid acute deficit of hydro power generation, Jammu &  Kashmir is currently relying on more than 85 percent of coal and solar power.

Officials of Power Development claim that local hydro power generation from the local power plants have reduced by nearly 90 percent.

A top official of PDD informed the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that, “At present Jammu and Kashmir is 85-90 percent dependent on coal and solar energy that is being procured from the other states because as of now we don’t have a local power generation.”

“In winters the local hydro power generation of Jammu and Kashmir power plants has reduced by almost 90 percent and in order to cater the requisite power demand, we need to have a base power availability that we procure from outside states. The energy is coal based energy,” the official said.

The official further said that the department is already in different Power Purchase Agreement (PPAs) with other states.

“Last year we entered a PPA of coal based power of over 390 MWs under Shakti Policy. In future more coal based power and more PPA has to be entered to meet the demand of electricity in Jammu and Kashmir,” the official said.

It also said, “In 2024 and the ongoing year there is a huge deficit in local hydro power generation. Situation is not good for local power generation in winters.”

Pertinently, KNO earlier this week reported that in the past one month, the hydel power generation from the power plants across Jammu and Kashmir has further reduced by five percent owing to the less snowfall and low water levels.

Overall, the hydro power generation from the local plants in Jammu and Kashmir has reduced by 84.17 percent.

In the month of January, the Power Development Department (PDD) was generating nearly 250 Megawatts of power from the local hydel projects that amounts to 20 percent of the total generation capacity. However, in the ongoing month, the power generation has further reduced by five percent.

“However, the power generation has further decreased with the officials saying that the department was able to generate only 190 MWs of power in the ongoing month,” the official said.

Besides, the authorities have said that Jammu and Kashmir may face 29 percent of ‘forced load shedding’ of annual power in the year 2034-35.

Besides, it has further projected that in the coming ten years, the Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of power demand is likely to increase by more than four percent in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. —(KNO)