SRINAGAR: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, today held a review meeting of the Science and Technology Department to assess the progress and implementation framework of various renewable energy initiatives and emerging green-energy policies in the Union Territory.
The meeting besides Commissioner Secretary, Science & Technology was attended by Director, CSIR-IIIM Jammu; DG Budget; MD, PDCL; CEO, JAKEDA; CEO, CITaG and other concerned officers.
Reviewing the action plans, Chief Secretary Atal Dulloo directed all concerned departments, including Power Development Department, Revenue, Finance and Agriculture, to ensure close institutional coordination and timely execution of the identified initiatives.
The Chief Secretary directed that the district-wise biomass survey be completed within the stipulated timeline and called for immediate identification and screening of suitable government land for creation of a centralized Green Land Bank especially by exploring the digital land bank of J&K created by the Forest Department.
Emphasizing the need to translate policy initiatives into tangible outcomes, the Chief Secretary called for milestone-based, time-bound implementation, with clear responsibilities assigned to the concerned departments and agencies.
He observed that J&K possesses tremendous potential in solar, water, wind and biomass resources therefore our focus must now be on converting this potential into viable projects through coordinated and time-bound action.
He maintained that these initiatives can contribute significantly towards energy security, create local employment, support industry and agriculture, and help build a cleaner and greener Jammu and Kashmir.
On this occasion the Commissioner/Secretary, Science and Technology Department, Babila Rakwal, presented an overview of the ongoing initiatives, while the Centre for Innovation and Technology Transformation (CITaG) presented strategic roadmaps for the proposed Integrated Renewable Energy (IRE) Policy and Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) Policy.
The meeting reviewed a broad range of initiatives encompassing floating solar projects, small hydro power, solarization of government buildings, wind-energy assessment, smart metering, battery energy storage systems and conversion of organic waste into compressed bio-gas.
It was highlighted that under the Pradhan Mantri Surya Sarovar Yojana (PM-SSY), the department is promoting Floating Solar Photovoltaic (FSPV) projects in J&K. It was revealed that following the successful implementation of a 100 kW floating solar pilot project at Dal Lake, Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir Energy Development Agency (JAKEDA) has undertaken pre-feasibility surveys of potential water bodies.
Five reservoirs have been identified for development of floating solar projects, including two in Kashmir and three in Jammu, with an aggregate potential of 83.51 MW. Manasbal Lake in Ganderbal, with an identified potential of 34.06 MW, and Mansar Lake in Samba, with 31.9 MW, have been assessed as highly feasible sites.
The meeting also reviewed the expansion of Small Hydro Power (SHP) projects under the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy guidelines for the period 2026-27 to 2030-31. At present, seven small hydro projects with a combined capacity of 35.25 MW are operational, while another project of 3 MW is nearing completion.
Detailed Project Reports have also been prepared for 76 projects up to 2 MW, having an aggregate capacity of 118 MW, and 56 projects in the 2-10 MW category, with a cumulative capacity of 331 MW, paving the way for their expeditious tendering and implementation.
Reviewing the implementation of PM Surya Ghar: Muft Bijli Yojana, the meeting noted that J&K has secured a significant share of the Model Solar Village component.
Out of 15 Detailed Project Reports sanctioned by the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy across the country, eight DPRs have been approved for J&K, involving Central Financial Assistance of ₹7.99 crore.
Moreover it was given out that JAKEDA has undertaken systematic wind-resource assessment to address the historical data gap in the sector. It was divulged that two primary wind masts installed at Bidda and Ijara have been successfully tested, with Bidda assessed as structurally feasible for development of a full-scale wind farm.
Meanwhile the JAKEDA also proposed installation of 5-10 kW vertical-axis wind turbines on a pilot basis at suitable locations and sought identification of an appropriate land bank for the purpose.
With respect to the Integrated Renewable Energy Policy the CEO, CITaG, Dr Sandeep presented the proposed framework aimed at accelerating renewable energy deployment while addressing the demand-supply timing gap and the need for grid-scale energy storage.
The frameworktargets development of 500 MW of ground-mounted solar, 150 MW of BESS and 50 MW of wind capacity by 2030, scaling up to 2,000 MW solar, 1,200 MW BESS and 300 MW wind capacity by 2040.
The meeting also deliberated upon the proposed Compressed Bio-Gas (CBG) Policy, aimed at utilizing J&K’s substantial biomass and organic-waste resources for production of clean fuel.
These CBG plants would utilize municipal wet waste, livestock manure, orchard waste and agricultural residue through anaerobic digestion to produce vehicle-grade compressed bio-gas. The process would also generate Fermented Organic Manure (FOM), providing an additional avenue for sustainable agricultural use and income generation.
The policy is aligned with the Government of India’s Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) 2026-27, with the potential to unlock financial assistance of up to ₹50 crore under Component-I and ₹55 crore under Component-II, subject to fulfilment of the prescribed governance reforms.
As per the proposed roadmap, J&K is targeting operationalization of at least six major CBG plants by March 31, 2030, with a combined production capacity of 32 tonnes per day (TPD) of clean fuel. The initiative is expected to generate more than 700 direct employment opportunities besides creating an ecosystem of local biomass and feedstock aggregators.
