NHPC all set to start work on 1,856 MW Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project

Tenders to be opened after PIB, CCEA approvals

Revival marks major step in post-IWT abeyance strategy

Mohinder Verma

JAMMU, Sept 2: Several decades after it was conceived, the ambitious 1,856-MW Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project in Ramban district is finally set to move towards execution, with NHPC fully prepared to commence work once the requisite investment approvals are secured.

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Official sources told the EXCELSIOR that the tenders for Lot-1 works have already been floated and are ready to be opened following approval of the Public Investment Board (PIB). The project will subsequently require clearance from the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA), with both approvals expected in the next few months.

Lot-1 works include the construction of diversion tunnels, access tunnels, roads and associated works, a right bank spiral tunnel and dam works.

“Once the clearances are in place, NHPC is expected to move swiftly into execution of the mega project, which is set to become the biggest hydropower utility in Jammu and Kashmir”, they said, adding “the revival of Sawalkot assumes particular significance as it forms part of the Central Government’s renewed push to utilise the water resources of the Western Rivers to the maximum possible extent”.

The revival of the project was first announced by the Central Government on October 10, 2025, within months of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) being suspended following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. On October 10, 2025, the Government had also recommended environment clearance for the Sawalkot project, providing a major impetus to the revival of the long-pending scheme.

Stalled for several decades, Sawalkot is among India’s largest hydropower schemes in the Chenab basin and has emerged as a key component of the Government’s efforts to fully utilise India’s share of the Western River waters under the 1960 treaty framework.

Under the IWT, the three Eastern Rivers—Ravi, Beas and Sutlej—were allocated to India for its exclusive use, while the three Western Rivers—Indus, Jhelum and Chenab—were reserved for Pakistan. However, India retained limited rights over the waters of the Western Rivers for specified purposes, including non-consumptive uses such as run-of-the-river hydropower generation, navigation and fisheries.

The Chenab, therefore, remains particularly important for Jammu and Kashmir, where a number of major hydropower projects are either operational, under construction or being pursued.

While the Sawalkot project components are spread across Ramban, Udhampur and Reasi, Ramban will bear the maximum impact of the mega project. Out of the total 1,401.35 hectares of land required for the project, 1,097.55 hectares fall in Ramban, followed by 197 hectares in Udhampur and 106.8 hectares in Reasi.

The extent of submergence makes Ramban’s position even more significant. Out of the total 1,158.75 hectares proposed to be submerged, 1,030.55 hectares, or 88.94 percent, are in Ramban. Udhampur accounts for 63 hectares, or 5.44 percent, while Reasi has 65.2 hectares.

Thus, Ramban will emerge as the most affected district in terms of both land requirement and submergence.

The diversion tunnel, right abutment of the dam and right-bank tunnels fall in Reasi, while the adit of the right-bank tunnels, most of the submergence area and other construction facilities are located in Ramban. The powerhouse, main tunnel and left abutment of the dam fall in Udhampur.

Given the scale of the project’s impact on local communities, a comprehensive Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) plan has also been prepared. The plan takes into account the extent of impact on affected communities and includes compensation measures for landowners along with a range of rehabilitation and resettlement entitlements in accordance with standard practices for affected areas.

“With the project now moving through the final stages of approvals and NHPC having already floated the Lot-1 tenders, Sawalkot is poised for a major transition—from a project that remained stalled for decades to one ready to enter the construction phase”, sources said.

They further said, “the project’s commencement would mark a significant development in J&K’s power sector, while its location on the Chenab gives it added importance in the backdrop of the Government’s renewed emphasis on harnessing the water resources of the Western Rivers”.

“For Jammu and Kashmir, Sawalkot is thus not merely another power project. Its execution would represent the revival of a decades-old hydropower ambition, a major addition to the Union Territory’s generation potential and a significant step towards harnessing the Chenab basin’s vast hydropower resources”, they added.