Jammu: The Union government has accelerated work on a major hydroelectric project on the Chenab river in Jammu and Kashmir, with state-run NHPC floating a ₹5,129 crore tender for the long-pending Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project in Ramban district.
The move comes in the backdrop of India putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in abeyance after the Pahalgam terror attack, and signals a renewed push to utilise India’s permitted share of waters from the western rivers.
Planned as a run-of-the-river scheme on the Chenab, the Sawalkot project will have a total installed capacity of 1,856 MW. It will be developed in two stages — 1,406 MW in Stage I and 450 MW in Stage II — making it among the largest hydropower projects in the region.
As per reports NHPC invited bids for construction earlier this month. According to tender details, submissions for the dam, tunnels and allied works will open on March 12 and close on March 20, with bid validity set at 180 days. The overall completion timeline is pegged at 3,285 days, pointing to a multi-year construction schedule.
The project site lies between the Baglihar project upstream and the Salal project downstream, spanning parts of Udhampur and Ramban districts.
Officials view it as strategically and economically significant, both for energy security and regional development.
Once completed, Sawalkot is expected to substantially enhance power generation in Jammu and Kashmir, improve grid stability, and reduce reliance on power imports.
Authorities also anticipate local benefits through job creation and infrastructure development in Ramban, where most construction activity will be concentrated.
The Sawalkot project has been in the pipeline for years, but has gained fresh momentum amid shifting geopolitical dynamics and a sharper focus on harnessing river waters available to India under the Indus framework.
The 1960 Indus Waters Treaty allocated the eastern rivers — Ravi, Beas and Sutlej — to India, while Pakistan received the bulk of waters from the western rivers — Indus, Jhelum and Chenab — with India retaining limited rights for non-consumptive uses such as hydropower.
India’s decision last year to suspend the treaty followed the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead and led to a downturn in bilateral ties.
