ammu: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday said a 500-megawatt thermal power project would soon be set up with feedstock from the coal block allotted to the state by the central government to meet the state’s growing electricity demands.
Omar Abdullah laid the foundation of the 48 megawatt Kalnai hydro-power project in Doda district of Jammu region on Wednesday. Addressing a public meeting after laying the foundation of the project, the chief minister said indigenous generation of hydro-energy is the right initiative to achieve economic goals and generate substantial employment and business activities for youth, particularly in far-off villages and remote areas.
“We have targeted generation of 9,000 MW of power within next seven to eight years, and the necessary edifice has already been laid to achieve this stupendous task,” he said, adding that the projects for generation of 2,000 MW of hydro electricity have been cleared, and are under various stages of implementation.
He said local generation of 9,000 MW would not only enable the state to provide 24×7 electric supply to domestic consumers and industry, but its export would generate enough funds to launch wide-ranging development projects in various sectors of development. (IANS)