About 1,900 government buildings in Jammu and Kashmir have been equipped with rooftop solar power plants and 20,000 remaining ones will be solarised by the end of 2025, a PTI report cited an official as saying.
Commissioner Secretary, Science and Technology, Saurabh Bhagat, said that the 1,900 building have either been solarised by Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) or other departments with a cumulative capacity of 27.61 MW till now, adding that the installation of rooftop solar power plants in the remaining 20,000 buildings could contribute an additional 300 MW.
He also mentioned that government offices in the Union Territory hold 22,494 registrations with a sanctioned load of approximately 486 megawatts.
Aligning with PM Modi’s target
During a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo, Bhagat provided an update on the readiness for the complete implementation of rooftop solar power plants on government buildings by December 2025. This aligns with the target set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Chief Secretaries Conference in New Delhi, as reported by an official spokesperson.
In the meeting, the chief secretary emphasised the importance of maximising the adoption and utilisation of solar energy in the Union Territory. For this, he recommended having meetings with major players in the market, such as NHPC, NTPC, or SECI, to explore the possibilities and assess the feasibility and potential of each government building.
In addition to supplying the necessary revolving fund to JAKEDA for solarising government buildings, he mentioned that the government is willing to offer subsidies to the organisations executing this program in Jammu and Kashmir.
Dulloo instructed the department to create a model contract and detailed project report for each district following a survey of identified buildings in the upcoming weeks.
He urged them to learn from successful initiatives implemented by other states or Union Territories in the country.
The chief secretary also emphasised the importance of seeking technical assistance from reputable organisations to establish a clear roadmap for achieving this goal.
(With PTI inputs)