Media reports India planning biggest hydro power plant in Kashmir
(MENAFN) India is moving forward with the construction of the Sawalkote Hydroelectric Project, which will be the largest hydropower plant in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, according to NDTV. The 1856-Megawatt (MW) project on the Chenab River is estimated to cost around $2.6 billion and will proceed without seeking Pakistan’s approval, despite the requirements of the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which India suspended in April.
The IWT, signed in 1960 under the World Bank’s guidance, regulates water sharing between India and Pakistan. India suspended the treaty until Pakistan unequivocally renounces its support for cross-border terrorism, following a deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir blamed on Islamabad, which Pakistan denies.
While the treaty allows India limited rights to use Chenab River water for irrigation, India can develop run-of-the-river hydro projects with clearance from the Indus Water Commission. The treaty limits large dam construction on major rivers, restricting hydroelectric development.
India’s National Hydroelectric Power Corporation has begun the bidding process for the Sawalkote project, initially planned in the 1980s but delayed for decades due to procedural hurdles and Pakistan’s objections regarding the river’s flow. Construction will now proceed in two phases. Since 2019, four hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 2,026 MW have been launched in Jammu and Kashmir.
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