Stalled for nearly four decades, the Sawalkote hydroelectric project on the Chenab river in the Indus basin has received a push, with the Union Environment Ministry’s expert panel on hydropower projects recommending it for environmental clearance, according to minutes of a recent meeting.

The 1,865 MW project, to be built by NHPC Ltd in Jammu and Kashmir’s Ramban district, will be one of the largest on the west-flowing Chenab. It entails a 192.5-metre-high concrete gravity dam with a reservoir capacity of 530 million cubic metres spread over 1,159 hectares. The installed capacity will be 1,406 MW in Stage I and 450 MW in Stage II.

The Centre expedited the project, first initiated in 1984, after putting the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) in abeyance following the Pahalgam terror attack i

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