Kishtwar, the remotest district of Jammu division, is set to become North India’s major power hub generating nearly 6,000 MWs of electricity after completion of the ongoing hydroelectric projects.

The surplus power from Kishtwar will not only be utilised for other parts of the Union Territory but will also be sold to other states, said an official spokesman.

Pertinent to mention that 1000 MW Pakal Dul Project, 624 MW Kiru Project, 540 MW Kwar Project and 930 MW Kirthai Project are all located in close vicinity of each other, along with 850 MW Ratle Project which has been revived as a Joint venture between the Centre and the UT.

It is pertinent to mention that CMD (Chairman & Managing Director), National Hydro Project Corporation(NHPC), A K Singh called on Union Minister Dr Jitendra Singh and briefed him about the status of the ongoing power projects in Kishtwar, which when completed will turn Kishtwar into a major power hub generating nearly 6000 MV of power.

Kishtwar falls in the parliamentary constituency that Dr. Jitendra Singh represents and he has been taking a lot of interest in the development of the areas that had remained virtually neglected in the past. Kishtwar has a lot of power generation potential on the Chenab and several rivulets.

Pakal Dul HE Project (1000MW) is under active construction after a river diversion was carried out. The project will generate 3230 MWs annually and is expected to be completed by July 2025. Kiru HE Project (624 MW) is also under active construction. The river diversion was carried out recently and after completion, it will generate 2272 MWs annually. The project is expected to be completed by July 2025.

The work on Kwar Hydro Electric Project (40MW) started in 2022 and the project will generate 1975 MUs annually and scheduled completion is in November 2026.

Similarly, Ratle HE Project (850 MW) is under construction, and work started by awarding an EPC Contract in January 2022.

The scheduled date of commissioning of the project is 10th Feb 2026 and once commissioned, the project will generate 3136 MUs annually. Kirthai-II HE Project (930 MW) is under investigation and will generate 3329.52MUs annually on commissioning.

With the commissioning of all these projects, the power requirement of Jammu and Kashmir will be improved drastically and will help in achieving the goal of zero carbon emission.

Recently, PM Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for Rattle (850 MW) and Kwar (540MW) hydroelectric projects, to be constructed on the Chenab river in Kishtwar at a cost of around Rs 5,300 crore and Rs 4,500 crore respectively.

Similarly, in the Gurez area of North Kashmir’s Bandipora district, Kishanganga hydro power- 330 megawatt (MW) project on the river Kishanganga, a tributary of Jhelum project is a success story.

This project added a new dimension to the growth journey of Jammu and Kashmir. The project in Bandipora district provides 13% free power to the J&K including 1% for local area development fund. The Power project comprising three turbines is spread over 750 kanals in Karalpora Matrigam and 4200 kanals in the Gurez area where from the water comes through a tunnel measuring 23.5 kilometers.

The J & K administration has initiated various reforms to overhaul the power sector in the UT. The government is working on a mission mode to develop new power infrastructure and improve the existing one to meet the power demands of the people.

Unprecedented milestones have been achieved to ensure last mile connectivity and 100% saturation of the Central Sector Scheme of Universal Household Electrification. More than 6500 new distribution transformers have been installed and reliability of power distribution has been ensured in both rural and urban areas.

Transmission and distribution capacity has been increased. More power has been supplied even during peak days. Important power projects which were hanging in balance for decades are now being executed. In the next three years, J&K is set to generate the capacity equivalent to what was achieved in 70 years.