Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu inaugurated the state’s first solar power project with a battery storage facility at Rongtong in the Kaza area of Spiti Valley on Wednesday. He also inaugurated projects and laid foundation stones for development works valued at Rs. 1.16 bn in the tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti, including areas close to the strategically important border region.

The Rongtong facility has a generation capacity of 2 MW and is equipped with a 1 MWh Battery Energy Storage System (BESS). Located at an altitude of approximately 3,600 metres above sea level, the project was constructed at a cost of Rs. 44.2 mn. It is designed to supply dependable electricity in the remote, high-altitude region.

Construction of the solar plant began on May 30, 2023, and the facility was commissioned in December 2024, according to an official statement. The plant is expected to generate about 3,600,000 units of electricity annually, highlighting the potential for solar energy projects in difficult Himalayan terrain.

The project is intended to strengthen power infrastructure in Spiti Valley and demonstrate the use of energy storage and operational systems for clean power generation in remote locations. Sukhu said the Rongtong Hydel Power Project would be made fully functional, with Rs. 60 mn allocated for the work.

The Chief Minister recalled that residents had raised concerns about the quality and reliability of electricity supply during his first visit to Spiti as Chief Minister in 2023. He said commissioning the solar plant was an important step towards addressing those concerns. Sukhu also laid the foundation stones for 66/22 kV substations at Sumdo in Kinnaur district and Kaza, with a combined estimated cost of Rs. 479.5 mn.