The Himachal Pradesh government has taken a major step towards making the state a ‘Green Energy’ state by March 2026, by setting up two solar power projects of 400 KW each in Pangi sub-division of Chamba district. The land for the same has been transferred to Himurja, the state-run nodal agency for renewable energy.
Himurja has selected one hectare of land each for the projects at Hillaur and Dharwas of the Pangi valley. The agency has initiated further action to set up these projects, which are estimated to cost around Rs 10 crore. Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has instructed Himurja to complete the construction work at the earliest.
Sukhu said that apart from these solar power projects, the government has also made a provision in the budget for 2023-24 to set up a solar power-based ‘Battery Energy Storage System Project’ in Pangi. This project will help provide uninterrupted power supply to the people of the area, even during power outages and breakdowns caused by bad weather and heavy snowfall.
He said that the government was encouraging youth to set up solar power projects, ranging from 250 kW to 2 MW capacity in the state. The government would provide 40 per cent financial assistance for these projects and the state electricity board would purchase the electricity produced by them.