Context:

• Prime Minister dedicated the 220 kV Srinagar- Alusteng – Drass- Kargil – Leh Transmission System to the nation, a step that would ensure quality power supply to Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir round the year. With this, Ladakh now stands connected to the National Grid. The move is expected to boost the tourism sector and enhance the socio-economic development of Ladakh. It is a flagship project of the Union Government under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) which was aimed to improve reliability and quality of power supply in Ladakh region of Jammu & Kashmir by connecting with National Grid.

Significance:

• The project will result in minimising the massive use of diesel generating sets during winters. It will provide grid connectivity and reliable quality power supply to the Ladakh region including defence establishments in the area.
• This will not only help evacuate power of Kargil and Leh Hydel stations in summers, but will also supply power to the region in winters when temperatures dip and hydro electricity generation do not match up.
• The project will meet the power demand of Ladakh region at economical rates.
• With quality electricity available at reasonable rates, hospitality industry in Ladakh will get a boost, as their reliance on diesel sets will reduce.

National Grid:

• The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network in India, connecting power stations and major substations and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere in mainland India can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere.
• The National Grid is owned, operated, and maintained by state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (POWERGRID), a Navratna Company under the Union Ministry of Power. POWERGRID is one of the world’s largest power transmission utility, and has a wide network of 150,874 circuit kilometers transmission lines with 238 sub-stations.