A New Push on the Chenab

As bids open for Dulhasti Stage II, Kishtwar stands at the center of a major energy project with wide economic and social stakes.

- Peerzada Mohsin Shafi

The Chenab River has long stood as a source of ambition in Jammu and Kashmir. Its fast waters cut through deep gorges, offering energy, opportunity and the promise of development.

Several hydropower projects already draw strength from this river. Kiru, Kwar, Rattle and Pakal Dul form a growing chain of turbines and tunnels.

With the opening of financial bids for Dulhasti Stage II on January 13, 2026, the Chenab enters another chapter, one that blends engineering confidence with rising public expectation in Kishtwar.

Dulhasti Stage II builds on an existing success. The first stage of the project, commissioned by NHPC in 2007, produces 390 megawatts through a run of the river design with pondage.

That plant has delivered power for almost two decades, offering proof that the site works and the river can support complex infrastructure.

Stage II adds 260 megawatts through two units of 130 megawatts each.

The original detailed project report for Stage I had already mapped this expansion. Engineers chose a plan that draws more power from the same river stretch without erecting a fresh large dam. The result limits surface disturbance while increasing output, a practical approach in steep Himalayan terrain.

The project sits in Kishtwar district, with the dam near Dul village, about 450 meters downstream of the Amni Nallah confluence. The underground powerhouse will rise on the left bank near Benzwar village.