Power Grid receives approval to build Green Energy Corridor in Ladakh

The state-owned Power Grid Corporation of India (PGCIL) has received authorisation from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) to use viability gap finance (VGF) for the building of the Green Energy Corridor-II (GEC-II) in the Ladakh area.

GEC-II is an Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) project that intends to link future renewable energy projects in Ladakh totaling at least 13 gigawatts. By the 2029–2030 fiscal year, the government intends to finish the project, which will cost an estimated Rs 20,773.70 crore. 

According to a government announcement, 40% of the project's cost, or Rs 8,309.48 crore, will be covered by Central Financial Assistance (CFA). Owing to Ladakh's difficult climate and defense-related concerns, PGCIL has been appointed by the government as the project's implementing agency. Launched in 2012, the GEC programme acts as a specialised transmission network to link zones of renewable energy to the national grid.

This project's transmission lines will run through Punjab and Himachal Pradesh until coming to a finish at Kaithal, Haryana, where they will be integrated into the National Grid.