Ladakh-Haryana Power Link: DRDO to provide technical expertise for high-altitude manpower deployment

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, June 6

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) will provide technical expertise relating to manpower deployment in high-altitude areas to Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) in executing a mammoth project to establish power transmission lines from Ladakh to Haryana.

A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Defence Institute of Physiology and Allied Sciences (DIPAS) and PGCIL a few days ago under which technologies and methodologies required for deploying workforce in extreme climatic conditions and harsh terrain will be made available to the project executing agency, DRDO sources said. A 5-gigawatt transmission line from Pang in Ladakh to Kaithal in Haryana, covering a distance of about 900 km, is being set up by the PGCIL to transmit green energy generated in Ladakh through solar and other renewable methods.

Pang is located at an altitude of about 15,500 feet, about 175 km south of Leh on the highway to Manali. “About half the length of the power line will pass over mountains, with the elevation at some place like Lachulung La being close to 17,000 feet,” a DRDO official said.

There are stretches where the temperature even in summer falls below zero and strong winds and unexpected snow can be experienced, besides thin air. This makes working conditions tough and hazardous, calling for scientific approach and special equipment to deal with the environmental factors.