Context

The 220 kV Srinagar- Alusteng - Drass- Kargil – Leh Transmission System was dedicated to the nation on February 3, 2019 by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi. With this, Ladakh now connected to the National Grid.

About

• 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.
• Under this project, four new modern Gas Insulated Sub-stations of 220/66 Kilovolt (kV) were built at Drass, Kargil, Khaltsi and Leh to help ensure 24x7 quality power in all weather conditions.
• The total funding of Rs 2266 crore to complete the project was provided by the Central Government and Jammu & Kashmir Government in the ratio of 95:05, respectively.
• 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  It 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 and transformation capacity of 351,106 MVA.
• The union territories of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep are not connected to the National Grid.

Significance

• The project will result in minimizing the massive use of diesel generating sets during winters, and thus will help in protection of clean environment of the region.
• It will provide grid connectivity and reliable and stable, quality power supply to the Ladakh region including defence establishments in the area at economical rates.
• Hospitality industry and tourism sector will get a boost, as their reliance on diesel sets will reduce; resulting into the socio-economic development of Ladakh.