PM-KUSUM: J&K Budget Proposes 4000 Solar Pumps & 80 MW Rooftop Solar Installations

The UT budget was submitted in Lok Sabha and was worth 1.2 trillion (14 billion). The budget called for the commissioning of around 80 MW of rooftop solar capacity under the Jammu Solar City Project in the coming fiscal year, covering approximately 20,000 Union Territory residences.

Furthermore, under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Urja Suraksha evam Uthaan Mahabhiyan, funds would be provided to replace 5,000 current traditional agricultural pumps with solar pumps (PM-KUSUM). 

The Executive Council of J&K approved last year the installation of 200 MW of grid-connected solar systems on 50,000 residential structures in Jammu under the Solar City Mission programme, at a cost of 10.4 billion rupees ($132.12 million). Sitharaman requested that the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy seek to install 10 MW of rooftop solar power for 3,000 families.

In addition, as part of the Srinagar Smart City Initiative, the government would construct around 3 MW of rooftop solar in Srinagar. The Union Finance Minister further stated that the first phase would include grid-connected rooftop solar on 50 structures in Srinagar and 20 government buildings in various regions. She went on to say that the mission mode would cover all government building rooftop installations.

During the fiscal year 2023-24, J&K's independent power producers will be allocated 72 MW of small hydropower projects with a capacity of at least 2-10 MW. Furthermore, the budget called for the construction of Urja Bhavan in Jammu's Channi Himmat slum by the end of the year.

Under the budget, the Union government intends to sponsor 100 research and development initiatives in J&K. Solar Energy Corporation of India requested bids in March last year for the design, engineering, construction, erection, testing, and commissioning of a 5 MW grid-connected saffron-based agro-solar power plant in the J&K district of Pulwama.