Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh, RK Mathur met Chairman & Managing Director (CMD), NTPC Limited, Gurdeep Singh in New Delhi on February 17 and discussed various issues related to Ladakh.

CMD NTPC Ltd Gurdeep Singh informed that the hydrogen-run vehicles are ready for tests and the contract for the fueling station would soon be awarded. 

Speaking about the roadmap for the pilot 1 MW solar-cum-hydrogen generation project, Gurdeep Singh apprised LG Mathur that the allotment land has been done. He also informed LG Mathur about the proposed project for Hydrogen Mobility in Durbuk and Nurla and briefed him about the plan for a combined heat and power generation project for the Sindhu Medical College.

LG Mathur requested NTPC Ltd to prepare a hydrogen roadmap for Ladakh. He stated that an MoU with NTPC can be considered for achieving net-zero carbon neutrality and to help Ladakh generate hydrogen-based and other renewable energy. He said such an initiative will enable Ladakh to attract funding from international agencies for projects.

LG Mathur stated that Ladakh has four forms of renewable energy, viz. solar, wind, hydel and geothermal. He further stated that Ladakh needs more power during the winter and about 150 MW of installed capacity needs to be added in the near future. In addition, heat pumps can deliver household-level supplies for space heating. He stated that all these renewable energy projects may be structured in a manner to give financial benefits to Ladakh.