4 January 2026·PIB

POWER MINISTER ON A TWO-DAY VISIT TO JAMMU AND KASHMIR TO REVIEW HYDROELECTRIC PROJECTS

In this note

1. At a Glance

Union Minister of Power & Housing/Urban Affairs Shri Manohar Lal undertook a two-day field review of NHPC hydro projects in J&K (Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar districts) on 4–5 Jan 2026 [1].
Projects reviewed include Salal, Sawalkot and Ratle — all on the Chenab River (a Western River under the Indus Waters Treaty) [1][2].
Significance for UPSC: intersection of hydropower policy, J&K reorganisation, Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) status, NHPC (Navratna PSU), and Chenab basin development — GS-II and GS-III relevance.

04 Jan 2026: Union Power Minister arrived in Jammu, accompanied by Secretary (Power) Shri Pankaj Agarwal and CMD NHPC Shri Bhupendra Gupta, to review Salal, Sawalkot and Ratle projects on Day 1 [1].
Minister directed NHPC to expedite sediment removal at Salal reservoir, a step explicitly linked to India's post-IWT-termination posture on Western Rivers [1].

Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 — brokered by World Bank; allocated 3 Western Rivers (Indus, Jhelum, Chenab) to Pakistan with India retaining non-consumptive/run-of-river hydro rights [3].
Salal Project — first major Indian hydro on Chenab; design modified under IWT consultations; commissioned in stages (Stage I 1987, Stage II 1995) under NHPC [1].
NHPC — incorporated 1975; conferred Navratna status (2024) [4].
Ratle HEP approved 2021 (joint venture NHPC + JKSPDC); river diversion achieved in 2023 [5].

Implementing Ministry: Ministry of Power, GoI; executing agency NHPC Ltd. (CPSE under MoP) [1].
Salal HEP: 690 MW (6 × 115 MW Francis units), run-of-river, concrete gravity dam, Reasi district, Chenab River [1].
Sawalkot HEP: 1856 MW, Chenab, under NHPC development pipeline [2].
Ratle HEP: 850 MW, Chenab, Kishtwar district, NHPC-JKSPDC JV, run-of-river [5].
River: Chenab — a Western River under IWT (1960) [3].
Districts in itinerary: Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar [1].
Treaty status: PIB release refers to "termination of the Indus Waters Treaty" as context for accelerated Salal desilting [1].

Geopolitical / Strategic

India placed IWT "in abeyance" post-Pahalgam terror attack (Apr 2025); the Jan 2026 PIB note frames sediment-flushing and storage works as exercising previously restricted design parameters [1][3].
Chenab cascade (Salal-Sawalkot-Ratle-Kiru-Kwar-Pakal Dul) creates upstream leverage over flows into Pakistan's Punjab [2][6].

Economic

Chenab Valley pipeline aggregates >6,000 MW when commissioned; central to the 50 GW hydro target by 2030 under MoP's hydro roadmap [2][7].
Sediment removal at Salal addresses ~96% capacity loss of live storage owing to siltation, restoring generation efficiency [1].

Environmental

Run-of-river design minimises submergence vs. storage dams; however, Himalayan silt load is the binding constraint on Chenab plants [1].
Desilting raises downstream sediment-flux and ecological questions for Pakistan side — a flashpoint under suspended IWT [1].

Legal / Constitutional

J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 — Union Territory status places power-sector approvals directly within Union remit; NHPC operates as central PSU here [1].
IWT 1960 — Articles III & VII govern Indian use of Western Rivers; current Indian position holds the treaty in abeyance pending Pakistan's response on cross-border terrorism [3].

Administrative

Project clearances coordinated between MoP, CEA, MoEFCC, J&K UT administration, NHPC and JKSPDC [1][5].
Cabinet route used for major sanctions (e.g., Kwar 540 MW (2022), Kiru 624 MW (2019)) [6].

04 Jan 2026: Minister's two-day review begins; Salal, Sawalkot, Ratle inspected on Day 1 [1].
2024: NHPC awarded Navratna status [4].
2023: Successful Chenab river diversion at Ratle HEP site [5].
2025–26: India's suspension/termination posture on IWT post-Apr 2025 frames J&K hydro acceleration [1][3].

Salal HEP: 690 MW, Reasi district, Chenab River, run-of-river, NHPC [1].
Sawalkot HEP: 1856 MW on Chenab [2].
Ratle HEP: 850 MW, Kishtwar district, NHPC + JKSPDC JV [5].
All three projects lie on a Western River (Chenab) under IWT 1960 [3].
Districts visited in the Jan 2026 tour: Reasi, Ramban, Kishtwar [1].
Union Power Minister (Jan 2026): Shri Manohar Lal; also holds Housing & Urban Affairs [1].
Secretary (Power): Pankaj Agarwal; CMD NHPC: Bhupendra Gupta [1].
NHPC: Navratna CPSE under Ministry of Power [4].
IWT 1960: brokered by World Bank; gives India Eastern Rivers (Ravi, Beas, Sutlej) [3].
Kwar HEP (540 MW) and Kiru HEP (624 MW) — also on Chenab, under Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL) [6].

GS-II: India-Pakistan relations; international treaties (IWT).
GS-III: Infrastructure – energy; environment; internal security linkage (J&K).
Plausible stems: 1. "Examine how the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty alters India's hydropower strategy on the Chenab basin." 2. "Run-of-river hydroelectric projects in J&K are strategic as much as economic assets. Discuss." 3. "Assess the role of NHPC as a Navratna CPSE in achieving India's 2030 hydropower targets."

Indus Waters Treaty, 1960 — legal architecture and abeyance status [3].
Kishenganga & Ratle arbitration (PCA, Neutral Expert) — IWT dispute machinery.
National Electricity Plan & 50 GW hydro target — MoP roadmap.
NHPC Ltd. — Navratna profile, project portfolio [4].
J&K Reorganisation Act, 2019 — UT governance over resources.
Chenab Valley Power Projects Pvt Ltd (CVPPPL) — NHPC-JKSPDC JV vehicle [6].
Hydropower Purchase Obligation (HPO) — 2022 MoP notification.
Pumped Storage Projects (PSP) policy 2023 — complementary to run-of-river.

Salal is on Chenab, not Jhelum — Jhelum hosts Uri/Kishenganga, not Salal.
Ratle is in Kishtwar, not Ramban — Ramban hosts Baglihar (J&K state-sector, not NHPC).
Sawalkot is NOT yet operational — it is in development pipeline; do not list as commissioned.
IWT is "in abeyance/suspended" per India's stated position post-Apr 2025 — distinct from formal treaty "termination" under Article XII (which requires bilateral ratification) [3].
NHPC is a Navratna (2024), not Maharatna.