Hydro Project Commissioned by KREDA

In

The Second Coldest Inhabited Place on the Globe

Kargil Renewable Energy Development Agency (KREDA) has successfully commissioned a 1.5 MW Small Hydro Project in Biaras Drass. The project is one of the seven SHPs being sanctioned to KREDA under the Ladakh Renewable Energy Initiative (LREI) program of the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE), GoI. Kargil is endowed with enormous economically exploitable and viable hydro potential. Development of these SHPs under KREDA shall bring much relief to the Power Development Department (PDD). Development of these hydel projects can provide a solution for the energy problems in remote and hilly areas like, Drass, Zanskar, and Kargil. Few years back, KREDA –Kargil, moved with the objectives of “planning, investigation, design and preparation of Detailed Project Reports and subsequently executed the project with the financial support from MNRE. KREDA decided to utilize the water released from existing Bairas nala for setting up of Micro Hydro Electric Project under the renewable energy program (LREI).

Drass Kargil is one of the most beautiful lands where earth and sky seem to meet. The Biaras Small Hydro Power Plant, recently commissioned, is supplying electricity to local community living in the local villages and Dras Town. GREF and other government organisations located in the area are also getting electricity from the Power House. The project is envisaged to generate 1500 KW of power which will generate about 12.46 MUs of electrical energy annually. The surplus power can be fed into the newly established grid.

Scenario of Drass on the eve of the Biaras SHP:

Nearly entire permanent population remains engaged in agriculture. At the same time more than one fourth population works as unskilled labourer with BRO, Army, civil contractors locally as well as in other parts of this region. Around 1% of the population is employed in Govt. sector. Small percentage of population is also engaged in the tourist and transportation industry. Branches of willow and populous trees, local thorny shrubs and cattle dung are used as fuel for heating and cooking food. Part of cultivable land is having facilities of irrigation and a major chunk remains un-irrigated, which can be made fertile by using lift irrigation in case power is made available to such schemes.

Benefits:

The project will provide stable electricity supply to the neighbouring villages in an otherwise unelectrified or partially electrified region. The availability of assured power in the Drass will enhance the living standard of the people here. Power will primarily be used for the following uses:

·       Electricity for lighting and appliances (cooking, heating, radio, TV, computer etc.) in homes and public buildings such as schools and clinics, in public places and collective events.

·       Electrical or mechanical power for lift irrigation, local service and cottage industries and for agricultural value adding industries and labour saving activities.

·       Improve and further promote tourism in the valley.

·       Reduce dependence of diesel generation.