NHPC to execute project on BOOT mode
Srinagar, Dec 08: The Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) is set to decide on the environmental clearance of the 260-MW Dulhasti Stage-II hydroelectric project later this month.
The run-of-the-river project will be reviewed by the panel during its meeting scheduled for December 19, 2025, in New Delhi.
As per the agenda of the 45th EAC meeting accessed by news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), the project will be taken up as agenda item 45.2 between 12:00 PM and 01:30 PM for appraisal by the panel.
During the meeting, the panel will scrutinize the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), public hearing proceedings, queries subsequently raised by the ministry, and any court matters or orders related to the project.
The project, coming up in Kishtwar district of the Valley, is being executed by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) on a Build, Own, Operate & Transfer (BOOT) basis.
On January 03, 2021, NHPC Limited signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Government of Jammu and Kashmir for execution of the project on BOOT mode for a period of 40 years.
The Dulhasti hydroelectric project, Stage-II, is an extension of the Dulhasti hydroelectric project, Stage-I (390 MW). The Stage-I was commissioned way back in 2007 and has been operating successfully since then.
The Stage-II project will use the existing structure of the Dulhasti Dam for offtake of water required for hydropower generation, by constructing an additional Head Race Tunnel (the tunnel that carries water from the intake to the powerhouse), a powerhouse, and a Tail Race Tunnel (the tunnel that carries water away from the powerhouse back into the river). (KNO)
