JAMMU/SRINAGAR, DEC 26: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change’s Expert Appraisal Committee has recommended environmental clearance for the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric project in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir, a Rs 3,277.45 crore extension of the existing Dulhasti power station on the Chenab River, reports appearing in the media suggest.
The recommendation was made during the EAC meeting held on December 19, 2025. According to the committee’s record note, the proposed project has been planned in compliance with the technical provisions of the Indus Water Treaty of 1960, which governs the use of Indus Basin Rivers. The ministry noted that while the treaty stands suspended with effect from April 23, 2025 following the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the project parameters were designed in line with the treaty’s framework.
The Dulhasti Stage-II project is an extension of the 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I hydroelectric project, which was commissioned in 2007 and has been operating successfully since then. The new project will utilise water released from the existing Dulhasti Power Station through a separate 3,685-metre-long tunnel with a diameter of 8.5 metres. This will lead to a horseshoe-shaped pondage structure for Stage II, along with associated infrastructure including a surge shaft, a pressure shaft and an underground powerhouse.
The underground powerhouse will house two generating units of 130 MW each, taking the total installed capacity of Stage II to 260 MW. The project is expected to contribute additional annual energy generation to the Chenab basin cascade of hydropower projects.
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Government of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir on January 3, 2021 for the execution of the project on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer basis for a period of 40 years. NHPC is implementing the project in association with Chenab Valley Power Projects Limited.The total land requirement for the project has been estimated at 60.3 hectares. Of this, 8.27 hectares of private land will be acquired from two villages, Benzwar and Palmar, in Kishtwar district.
Out of the total project cost, Rs 45.64 crore has been earmarked for the Environment Management Plan and pollution control measures. While recommending environmental clearance, the EAC directed that an independent study be undertaken five years after commissioning to assess the project’s environmental impact.
The committee has also asked NHPC and CVPPL to commission a comprehensive study through a reputed government research institute to develop a strategy for sustainable environmental management of the Chenab River Basin. The study will cover environmental flow regimes, channel morphology and sediment processes, conservation of aquatic and riparian biodiversity, livelihood and community concerns, and the integration of the Marusudar River within the wider Chenab basin hydropower cascade.
