After remaining stuck for over two years, the work on held up 220 KV Phyang-Disket and Drass-Padum transmission lines has been started again. This has happened after the Ministry of Power recently approved revised cost estimates of Rs 1,925 crore under the Prime Minister Development Package (PMDP). Initially, the project cost was estimated at Rs 1,203 crores but peculiar conditions prevailing in these remotest of remote areas necessitated an upward revision of costs.
The project is being implemented by RECPDCL and POWERGRID is providing the Project Management and Consultancy services. The project had been awarded by RECPDCL in July 2021. The Ministry of Power has accorded approval to the Revised Cost Estimate-II (RCE-II) amounting to Rs 1,925.28 Crores for the Intra-State Transmission Projects under the PMDP in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
This sanction provides administrative and financial approval for the balance works and ensures timely execution of vital transmission projects. Together, these projects will significantly strengthen the power infrastructure across the two regions of Ladakh, namely Nubra in Leh district and Zanskar Valley in the Kargil district.
As per the approval, the Central government will extend a grant of Rs 1,925.28 crores. With the revised sanction, the works for 220 KV transmission lines for Nubra and Zanskar have been taken up again on war footing basis. Incidentally, Nubra and Zanskar are the remotest areas of Ladakh and considered much backward as compared to other areas. Their remoteness and bad road connectivity to far-off areas are also issues which are being addressed.
The completion of critical transmission lines and grid stations in Nubra and Zanskar of UT of Ladakh will lead to ensuring 24×7 reliable power supply to whole of Ladakh. Expediting major projects in Ladakh, including the 220 kV Phyang–Diskit (Nubra) transmission line and the 220 KV Drass–Padum line.
Presently, both in Zanskar and Nurba, massive Diesel Generating (DG) sets are used for power generation and these will be phased out. At least 20 DG stations in Nubra of 7 MVA capacity and 8 DG Stations in Zanskar of 5 MVA capacity will be phased out with these lines. For the fragile environment of these areas, and the residents, the dependence on fossil fuels will become a thing of the past soon.
These projects will provide sustainable energy backbone to remote and strategic regions of Nubra and Zanskar, enhancing reliability and quality of electricity. These transmission lines will help in development of solar parks in Ladakh as the necessary evacuation infrastructure will be created.
Improved power infrastructure is expected to have positive socio-economic impact and may boost tourism, support defence establishments and foster overall socio-economic development in Ladakh.
Undoubtedly, the reduction in Diesel Generator (DG) set usage will contribute to cleaner environmental substitutes in these pristine areas. The availability of grid in these regions, will also pave way for implementation of PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojna, and other grid connected RE projects.
The final vetting of the transmission line alignment was done by DGRE wherein, they had directed for introducing raised chimney (0-9 metre height) and special circular foundation (4-12 meters height) for flood and avalanche prone areas. Accordingly, out of the 940 towers, (Nubra+Zanskar), at least 841 will be based on raised chimneys and 99 on special circular foundations have been introduced based on the DGRE directions.
When doing project appraisal, due to these suggested changes, it was found that there is major increase in the civil construction quantities. This has led to significant price escalation of each tower from Rs 0.28 Cr for normal tower to Rs 0.50 Cr for raised chimney and Rs 1.90 Cr for special circular foundation. The flood and avalanche proof tower designing itself has led to increase in the project cost by approximately Rs 265 crores.
Besides, Special Grade Steel Material (C-Grade) for tower parts and Reinforcement Steel (Fe-500) has been used for the project in view of temperature variation from -45 to +30 degree temperature of Ladakh. This also necessitated a reappraisal of costs to take care of the enhancements.
Further, in the Drass-Padum Line, 217 towers were falling on private land and accordingly, funds to the tune of Rs 65 Crores were disbursed for settlement to the private land owners for land compensation. There has also been additional realignment in the project at Manmantop Drass (Snow Ski site), Drang Drung Glaciers and Shakar Markim villages of Zanskar etc. in the interest of the overall development of the region and public at large.
Overall, the proposal for the revised cost estimate of the project from Rs. 1,203.08 crores to Rs 1,925.28 crores had been submitted to the ministry by RECPDCL in the financial year 2022-23. It is after due scrutiny by the Monitoring Committee of the ministry in the last two years that necessary sanctions have been accorded. With the revised cost approval, the project is expected to be completed in a year by October next year.
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