Environment2 min
Srinagar-Leh power line: 400 kV survey approved to plan for Ladakh's solar boom
A northern grid panel has cleared a field survey for a higher-capacity Alusteng-Leh corridor, a step toward steadier electricity for Kashmir and Ladakh.
Planners have taken the first concrete step toward a bigger power highway between Srinagar and Leh. The Northern Regional Power Committee's Operation Coordination Sub-Committee has agreed that Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited (JKPTCL) can run a survey and soil investigation for a 400 kV double-circuit line from Alusteng in Srinagar to Leh.
The decision came at the sub-committee's 248th meeting, according to minutes accessed by Rising Kashmir. It is a survey approval, not a go-ahead to build.
The notable change is the size of the plan. JKPTCL first proposed a 220 kV double-circuit line linking the 320 MVA Alusteng grid substation with the 100 MVA Leh substation. The aim was a more reliable supply across both regions. The utility now wants the survey done to a 400 kV design instead.
Why the upgrade? JKPTCL points to future power transfer needs and renewable projects planned in Ladakh, including solar generation, whose output will need to be carried out at higher voltage. It also argues that a 400 kV design makes better use of a limited transmission corridor, so planners are not boxed in later.
A Ladakh representative told the October 22 meeting that talks with JKPTCL had taken place and backed the 400 kV survey. The Central Transmission Utility of India Limited (CTUIL) said it did not need to consent to the survey. It added that the line's feasibility would be weighed in future transmission planning.
The idea has moved along since the 240th meeting, where the committee asked JKPTCL and Ladakh authorities to jointly assess a separate corridor and report to CTUIL. JKPTCL must now share its survey findings with CTUIL for further consideration.
For consumers, nothing changes yet. But the survey will show whether a stronger link is practical, and that will shape how reliably power flows between the two regions as Ladakh's renewable plans grow.
Read the original report: NRPC clears survey for 400 kV Sgr-Leh power corridor.
