The government’s ambitious plan to set up a 7,500 mw (mega watt) solar power project at an estimated investment of Rs 45,000 crore in Jammu & Kashmir’s Ladakh region has whetted the appetite of some 50 topline companies, even as tariff emerged as the key concern.
Prospective investors, including major manufacturers, raised a host of issues with the top brass of Solar Energy Corporation India (SECI), the implementing agency under the renewable energy ministry, at a pre-bid meeting on Monday. These ranged from the natural challenges to the bid structure.
But the elephant in the room was definitely the security situation in the state.
“The government is committed to this project. It is a game-changer. The locations being offered are the safest,” Praveen Kumar, additional secretary in the ministry, said in response to questions from a few prospective investors.
