Farooq Tantary CNI

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said that a gas insulated substation (GIS) has been proposed for South Kashmir’s Pahalgam belt under the transmission plan for the period 2022-27.

While responding to a starred question by NC MLA Altaf Ahmad Wani, the Chief Minister, who also holds the portfolio of Power Department, said that the projects under the transmission plan, including the Batkote Grid Station, are being implemented in a phased manner, depending on load growth and technical feasibility.

He said 50MVA, 220-33kV GIS Grid Sub-Station will be set up at Batkote in Pahalgam.

“As per the current guidelines issued under the ministry of power tariff policy, projects exceeding the threshold limits set by the joint electricity regulatory commission (JERC) can be executed through the tariff-based competitive bidding (TBCB) mode”, he said.

Based on JERC regulations, which fix Rs 100 crore as the threshold limit, the most suitable mode for the project is being examined, and a decision will be taken in due course, considering the prevailing price levels, the Chief Minister said.

Regarding land acquisition, the Chief Minister informed the house that the identification of land for the proposed Grid Substation is currently underway.