The Deputy Chief Minister Dr. Nirmal Singh today called for exploring new and viable sources for energy generation in addition to harnessing the conventional hydroelectric sources.The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking at a review meeting of Management and Finance Sub-Committee of the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) here today.Commissioner Secretary Finance Mr Navin Kumar Choudhary, Commissioner Secretary, PDD Mr Dheeraj Gupta, MD, JKSPDC Shah Faesal, Executive Directors of PDC Mr Muzaffar Lankar, Mr Ajay Gupta, Director Perspective Planning Shahzada Bilal Ahmad and other senior officers of the Power Development Department and JKSPDC were present.Calling for exploring alternative sources for generating electricity in the State, the Deputy Chief Minister said J&K should undertake a massive exercise for the same so that the reliance on the hydroelectric generation is minimized. He said JKSPDC should also explore the option of solar power generation as it can effectively cut down the costs and other related expenditures.Dr Singh said in the present age of technological advancement we should not be dependent on a single source and our endeavor should be to fully equip ourselves with all the latest advancements in power generation. He said for the same the corporation should get in touch with other players in the field.
The Deputy Chief Minister also asked for early completion of the new projects undertaken by the Corporation so that the generation of electric power gets augmented with the commissioning of new projects. He said complete synergy should be maintained within the department and also with other executing agencies so that time-bound completion of power projects is ensured to address the energy deficit in the state.The meeting was told that work on the new hydroelectric projects is going on and constant monitoring is being done to ensure that these are completed in accordance with the set procedures as well as within the requisite timelines. It was also given out that an action plan for development of 15 small hydroelectric projects of capacities between 9 MW to 25MW with an aggregate capacity of 193.60 MWs has been formulated. These plans have been developed keeping in view the generation of local employment, power availability to the local population and overall socio-economic development of the area.The meeting also discussed several issues like extension of time for construction of 9 MW Dah Hydroelectric Project (HEP), 9 MW Hanu, extension of time for completion of 325 Mtrs span motorable suspension bridge at village Trungal in Doda, power evacuation system of Dah and Hanu HEPs, implementation of 930 MW Kirthai-II HEP, development of solar power parks with installed capacity of 25MW and above in Jammu and Kashmir, status of PMDP projects, IPP projects, policy for corporate social responsibility and also some service related issues of the corporation.