Centre’s Green Panel Approves Dulhasti Hydel Power Project on Chenab River
Centre Clears 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II Hydel Project in J&K’s Kishtwar Amid Indus Waters Treaty Suspension
New Delhi, Dec 27: The Expert Appraisal Committee under the Ministry of Environment has approved the 260-megawatt Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Kishtwar district, Jammu and Kashmir, officials said on Saturday. The clearance paves the way for floating construction tenders for the run of the river project, estimated to cost over Rs 3,200 crore.
The approval comes against the backdrop of India suspending the Indus Waters Treaty with Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025. While the panel noted that the Chenab basin water was historically shared under the treaty, it also acknowledged that the treaty stands suspended effective from April 23, 2025.
Dulhasti Stage-II is an extension of the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I Hydro Electric Project, commissioned in 2007 and operated by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC). The new stage will divert water from Stage-I through a 3,685-metre-long, 8.5-metre-diameter tunnel to form a horseshoe-shaped pondage, including a surge shaft, a pressure shaft, and an underground powerhouse housing two 130 MW units, achieving a total capacity of 260 MW.
The project requires 60.3 hectares of land, including 8.27 hectares of private land from the villages of Benzwar and Palmar in Kishtwar district. With the treaty now in abeyance, the Centre is moving ahead with multiple hydroelectric projects in the Indus basin, including Sawalkote, Ratle, Bursar, Pakal Dul, Kwar, Kiru, and Kirthai I & II.
