Manohar Lal Khattar on Sunday said the Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project being implemented by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in Jammu and Kashmir will add 800 MW of electricity to India’s national power grid.

During a visit to Kishtwar, the minister also toured the Salal Power Project and reviewed multiple development initiatives in the region. He said he visited Salal Project Units 1 and 2 and carried out an aerial survey of the Sawalkot hydroelectric project to assess progress on the ground.

Khattar noted that NHPC’s projects in Jammu and Kashmir are moving ahead despite logistical, geographical and administrative challenges. He said work on the Sawalkot project has now formally commenced after being delayed by around two to two-and-a-half years due to various obstacles. Despite these challenges, he added, all NHPC projects in the region are now underway.

He said timely completion of the Sawalkot project would significantly strengthen India’s power generation capacity, with the project expected to contribute 800 MW once operational.

NHPC is developing the Sawalkot Hydroelectric Project on the Chenab River, spanning the Udhampur, Reasi and Ramban districts of Jammu and Kashmir. In July, the Centre invited tenders for construction of the project, which has an installed capacity of 1,856 MW and was originally conceptualised in the 1960s. NHPC issued e-tenders with 10 September as the deadline for submission of online bids.

The project site is located near Sidhu village in Ramban district, about 120 km from Jammu and 130 km from Srinagar.

The Sawalkot project is also seen as a strategic step towards maximising India’s utilisation of Indus river waters, particularly after the Indus Waters Treaty was put in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack.