The Solar Energy Corporation of India Ltd. (SECI) has issued a Request for Selection (RfS) for the development of 7,500 MW of grid-connected solar power projects in Leh and Kargil districts of Jammu & Kashmir.

The total capacity of 7,500 MW has been divided into three packages of 2,500 MW each.  The package-A will be set up in the areas tentatively identified in Zanskar sub-division and Tai Suru block of Kargil district. Packages B and C will be developed at Hanley Khaldo area of Nyoma sub-division in the Leh district.

The brief scope of work includes the implementation of the solar power projects along with the setting up of power transmission and evacuation infrastructure up to the delivery point.

For these projects, SECI will enter into power purchase agreements (PPA) with the successful bidders for a period of 35 years. The bidders can avail the fiscal incentives like accelerated depreciation, concessional customs and excise duties, tax holidays as available for such projects.

The deadline for commissioning of the project is 48 months from the effective date of the PPA. The maximum time period allowed for commissioning of the full project capacity is limited 54 months.

Recently, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE) launched a plan for the implementation of 23 GW of ultra mega solar projects in the Leh and Ladakh regions of Jammu & Kashmir. Phase-I of the project would entail setting up 2,500 MW Solar PV Capacity in Kargil region and 5,000 MW in Leh district. This will be India’s largest tender so far in terms of the capacity envisaged.

Earlier, Mercom also reported that the union government was planning to set up 25 GW solar capacity in Ladakh.

In an interesting development, on the last day of the year 2018, SECI issued four tenders for 1.2 GW solar power, 1.2 GW wind power, 1.2 GW wind-solar hybrid, and 4 GW of solar power with manufacturing capacity.

Image credit: By Stephane Viau [ CC BY-SA 4.0], from Wikimedia Commons