Power Shortages In Jammu Kashmir Due To Internal Logistics, Infrastructure Issues, NRPC Report
The NRPC has raised issues like the lower generation of the hydro-projects, lack of proper transmission and distribution capacities and a shortage of skilled manpower.
Published : July 4, 2025 at 5:31 PM IST
Srinagar: Amid yearly power shortages in Jammu and Kashmir, the government has been blaming people for power theft and low power generation from its hydroelectric projects. However, the Northern Regional Power Committee (NRPC) has pointed out internal logistic and infrastructure issues that are aggravating power outages in the union territory.
From lower generation from the hydro-projects to a lack of proper transmission and distribution capacities and a shortage of skilled manpower, the NRPC has raised these issues, which hamper the availability of electricity to 22 lakh consumers in Jammu and Kashmir.
The NRPC, in its 54th meeting of the Technical Coordination Committee and 79th meeting held on May 30 in New Delhi, has made a report in which it said that the Jammu & Kashmir (J&K) grid is weakly connected to the rest of the grid and, due to its isolated location, suffers from several issues that are generally not seen in other parts of the country.
In this meeting, Principal Secretary of the Power Development Department, JK, Hiresh Prasad, was present, and he was also appointed chairman for NRPC for the year 2025-26.
The report said that JK reported more power shortages than other states of the country in the past years, either due to limited procurement of power from the market or its inability to increase internal generation for the last 4-5 years. This compels the government to import higher power from the interstate network grids at high costs and puts a burden on its state coffers.
“From the total imported power, it is seen that the power procurement by J&K from the market is approximately 40-50% during the lean season. This over-dependence on the day-ahead/intraday market for the purchase of power indicates that measures for ensuring resource adequacy are required at the J&K end,” it said.
The committee pointed out several transmission and distribution system deficiencies that the government has not been able to overcome despite repeated assurances in the previous such meetings, the report said. “The power shortages in J&K can be avoided after the transmission and distribution system is improved and measures are taken for resource adequacy, which can minimise dependence on the day-ahead market and real-time market purchases,” it said.
The report said that two 400 kV substations (Kishtwar and Siot) approved for the UT in 2020, the Jammu and Kashmir Power Transmission Corporation Limited (JKPTCL), must be commissioned for the intrastate transmission system. The New Wanpoh, Amargarh, and Wagoora substations have been approved but not commissioned.
About the low, low voltage issues in the Kashmir Valley during winter, there is an urgent requirement for reactive compensation and a lack of capacitors in intrastate networks. “Presently, no capacitors are available in Kashmir DISCOM, although capacitors have been provided by industrial consumers to keep the power factor healthy. The commissioning of capacitors at the transmission & distribution level may be expedited to improve the voltage profile as well as avoid reactive energy charges,” it said. Prasad informed us that the DPR for the installation of the capacitor bank is in an advanced stage of completion.
The report also said that most of the 220 kV voltage level stations in J&K have only one main and transfer bus scheme instead of a double main transfer (DMT) bus arrangement, and therefore, bus shutdown requires the shutdown of the entire station, which affects the reliability of the power supply.
The report said that JKPTCL may explore the possibility of providing additional busbar arrangements at old substations, as only 3 out of 9 new substations recently commissioned have no DMT scheme at the 220 kV level. However, in old substations, due to space constraints, a new busbar arrangement is not feasible. “Further, in case of space constraint, a bus sectionalized option may be explored so that the possibility of complete station outage could be avoided.”
The committee said that there is zero visibility of real-time data in J&K stations, without which it is very difficult to monitor the grid in an efficient manner.
In response to these shortcomings, Prasad informed the committee that the Electricity Act, of 2003, was implemented in J&K only in 2019, and since then, several reforms have been initiated, including the corporatisation of the Power Development Department (PDD).
“On the commercial front, distribution losses have been reduced from over 60% to around 40%, with a target to bring them below 20% shortly. Load curtailment is currently being implemented given these high losses,” he said, adding that out of the 22 lakh electricity consumers in J&K, approximately 8 lakh have already been equipped with smart meters.
“It is planned to cover all consumers under smart metering within the next 18–24 months,” he said.
He said that J & K has been sourcing about 300–350 MW of power through the SHAKTI policy since last year. Four generation projects with a cumulative capacity of 3,500 MW are under advanced stages of construction, with two expected to be commissioned next year, which will reduce dependence on grid drawl.
He said that J&K has also signed PPAs for approximately 3,500 MW, with power flow expected to commence over the next 1.5 to 3 years. The capacity upgradation under the PMDP scheme is underway, and the RDSS is being implemented on a fast-track basis, with about 40% of the work completed. He said that both short-term and long-term measures are being undertaken by the J&K to improve the power supply situation. “It will take some time before these initiatives yield visible outcomes,” he said.
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