In a historic move to realise the goal of making Jammu and Kashmir self-sufficient in power sector, Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (RHPCL) and Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited (MEIL) inked a contract agreement for the turnkey execution of 850-MW Ratle hydel project within a stipulated timeframe, an official spokesman said.
The contract agreement was signed between Deepak Saigal, CEO, RHPCL, and Umamaheswara Reddy, vice president, MEIL, at the Convention Centre here in the presence of Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha.
Speaking on the occasion, Sinha termed the signing as a historic move to realise the goal of making J-K self-sufficient in power sector.
“I express my heartfelt gratitude to PM Narendra Modi ji for prioritising the rapid development of J-K with approval of new power projects to address the current power deficit and to meet the needs of UT’s expanding economy,” he said.
We have undertaken a large-scale capacity augmentation programme in the power sector, resulting in a huge leap in power transmission and distribution capacity. The new power generation projects like Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kiru etc will bridge a major gap in the UT’s electricity requirements, Sinha said.
Noting that the 850 MW Ratle power project will provide massive direct and indirect employment opportunities to the local population, the Lt Governor directed the concerned agencies to lay down a comprehensive mechanism for the skilling of the local people which will enable them to avail job opportunities in the execution of the project.
“Despite having the capacity to generate 20,000 MW hydropower, only 3,500 MW of electricity was harnessed in 70 years. Now, the generation capacity is set to be doubled in next four years,” he said.
