Centre weighs Sawalkot and other hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir
Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said the Centre is considering new hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including Sawalkot, as existing schemes advance. He said the projects could serve local and wider national demand, while the Union Territory has identified substantial hydropower potential and has reached an initial rooftop-solar milestone.
The Centre is considering new hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir, including the proposed Sawalkot project, Union Power Secretary Pankaj Agarwal said on Saturday, October 3, 2026. He said discussions on Sawalkot were continuing and that work was intended to begin in the near future. Mr.
Agarwal said the projects would help meet electricity demand in Jammu and Kashmir as well as in other parts of India. His comments came after India suspended the Indus Water Treaty following the 2025 Pahalgam attack, according to the source material. The Sawalkot project, being built by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, is planned on the Chenab river across the Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban districts.
It has an estimated cost of ₹5,129 crore and is expected to generate 800 megawatts. Pakistan objected to construction of the Sawalkot dam project in July last year and February this year, and sought consultations with India, the report said. No further details of the objections or of any consultation were provided.
Mr. Agarwal said work on the Ratle, Pakal Dul, Kiru and Kwar hydropower projects in Jammu and Kashmir was progressing. He also said the administration of the Union Territory was giving full support to projects being developed under Chenab Valley Power Projects (Private) Limited.
He said around 14,500 megawatts of hydropower potential had been identified in Jammu and Kashmir, and that projects under way would help address the region’s power deficit. During a visit to a Seva Setu Abhiyan camp in Srinagar, Mr. Agarwal also said the national PM Surya Ghar Muft Bijli Yojana had attracted about 50 lakh participants.
Jammu and Kashmir, he said, had reached its first milestone of 100 megawatts under the rooftop-solar programme.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.