With no source of electricity in the Kargil sector, the Indian Army is eagerly awaiting the Chutak Hydel Power project to reduce its dependence on petroleum products for meeting energy requirements.
"We have to depend on generator sets for meeting our requirements for electricity as there are no power plants here. We are eagerly waiting for the Chutak Hydel Power plant to start functioning in Kargil so that we have to use lesser amount of petroleum products," Officers from Army's 'Forever in Operations' Division told PTI here.
The power plant is being constructed in Kargil by the National Hydel Power Corporation and will generate 44 MW electricity every year.
"It has four turbines of 11 MW each and is expected to start transmission of power by the end of September next year," they said.
The officers said that almost 50 per cent of the electricity produced from the plant would be surplus after meeting the requirements of the local population.
"After the requirements of the local population are met with, we will have around 50 per cent of it for our usage. We would be the captive consumers of the electricity from the power plant," they said.Once the Army starts getting power from the project, it can do away with the use of generators in its formations based in Kargil, Dras and Batalik towns and the units based on the main highway connecting these towns, officers said.
"A major chunk of our energy needs would be fulfilled in these three towns but we will have to still depend on generator sets at locations in high altitude areas and on forward bases where we can't supply power," they said.
They added that lesser dependence on the petroleum products would also help in curtailing the winter-stocking efforts of the Army. "Most of the winter-stocking by the Army is for petroleum products for keeping the troops warm during the winter season when there is heavy snow fall and temperature is way below zero. With posts at lower heights getting regular electricity supply, we will have to stock oil supplies only for posts at high altitudes," they said.
The road-link to the region remains cut-off from the rest of the country in winters due to heavy snowfall for around six months and Army stocks its supplies for winters in summers itself.
