Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district is set to become a major power hub in north India, as it will generate around 6,000 MW of power after the completion of the ongoing power projects.
The 1,000 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 union territory. Pakal Dul hydro electric project (HEP) is under active construction after river diversion was carried out. The project will generate 3,230 million units (MUs) annually and expected to be completed by July 2025. The Kiru HEP is also under construction. The river diversion was carried out recently and after completion it will generate 2,272 MUs annually. The project is expected to be completed by July 2025. Meanwhile, the work on Kwar HEP started in 2022 and the project will generate 1,975 MUs of power annually and scheduled completion is in November 2026. Similarly, Ratle HEP is under construction and work started by awarding engineering, procurement, and construction contract in January 2022. The scheduled date of commissioning of the project is February 2026. Once commissioned, project will generate 3,136 MUs annually. Kirthai-II HEP is under investigation and will generate 3,329.52 MUs annually.