Pulwama, Mar 22: The Jammu and Kashmir government today informed that the Pampore Gas Turbine will be decommissioned, and its land, covering over 56 acres, will be repurposed for the development of a 10 MW solar power plant, the largest utility-scale solar project in the Union Territory.
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, who is also the minister in charge of power, shared the details in response to an unstarred question raised by National Conference (NC) legislator Hasnain Masoodi in the Legislative Assembly.
The plant has been non-operational since 2010, with only one unit briefly running in 2012. The plant covers a total area of 56.287 acres and was set up in two phases: Phase-I (75 MW) and Phase-II (100 MW). Despite this, the facility has remained idle for years, with its machinery deteriorating beyond repair.
“The gas turbine cannot be operated in its current condition, and its revival would come at a huge financial cost,” Abdullah said. “The cost of generation from the gas turbine is approximately ₹30 per unit, making it economically unfeasible.”
He further explained that after a thorough evaluation of the plant’s operational and environmental factors, the government decided to decommission it.
“The process for its decommissioning as per the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) Guidelines for the retirement, up-rating/de-rating of conventional generating units has already been initiated and shall culminate soon,” the chief minister said, adding that after fulfilling all the conditions, a formal request to the CEA shall be made for dropping GT-Pampore from the list of conventional generating units.
The land that housed the gas turbine will be utilised to set up a 10 MW grid-connected solar power plant (not a solar park). The project will be developed by the Jammu and Kashmir Power Development Corporation Limited (JKSPDC). The development will occur in phases, with Phase-I involving 5 MW, to be constructed on approximately 200 Kanal (25 acres) of vacant land at the site.
Abdullah said that the Solar Energy Corporation of India (SECI) has been appointed as the Project Implementing Agency (PIA) for the turnkey execution of the project. The tendering process for the solar power plant is in the advanced stages, and construction is expected to begin by the end of 2025. Once completed, the solar power plant will be the largest utility-scale solar power project in Jammu and Kashmir.
Since the plant is grid-connected, it will contribute to the region’s overall power supply, but there is no specific provision to allocate a percentage of the power generated to the inhabitants of Pampore. However, the plant will play a vital role in enhancing the overall electricity generation capacity of Jammu and Kashmir.
In addition to the Pampore project, Abdullah noted that Jammu and Kashmir has an estimated solar potential of 111 GW, much of which lies in the Ladakh region. However, large-scale solar power projects have not been developed in Jammu and Kashmir so far due to challenges in identifying feasible land banks of 500 acres or more, necessary for such large installations, given the region’s topography.
Nevertheless, Abdullah pointed out that a cumulative capacity of 75 MW of rooftop solar power plants has already been installed across various sectors in the Union Territory. These plants, mostly sponsored by the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, range from 2 kWp to 200 kWp, and more are being installed under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana.
