Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant

Dul Hasti hydroelectric power project, includes the existing Dul Hasti Stage-I Hydroelectric Power Project with 390 MW capacity^[1] and the under-construction Dul Hasti Stage-II Hydroelectric Power Project with 260 MW capacity,^[2] in Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir in India built and operated by NHPC.^[1] Stage-I has been generating over 2000 Million Units of electricity per year.^[3][4]

Dul Hasti Dam
Location of Dul Hasti Dam in Jammu and Kashmir Show map of Jammu and Kashmir Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant (India) Show map of India
Country	India
Location	Kishtwar, Jammu and Kashmir
Coordinates	33.3692°N 75.7984°E / 33.3692; 75.7984
Purpose	Power
Status	Operational
Construction began	1985
Opening date	2007; 18 years ago (2007)
Dam and spillways
Type of dam	Gravity
Impounds	Chenab River
Height	70 m (230 ft)
Length	190 m (620 ft)
Elevation at crest	1,250 metres (4,100 ft)
Spillway capacity	8,000 m3/s (280,000 cu ft/s)
Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Plant
Coordinates	33.2869°N 75.7621°E / 33.2869; 75.7621
Commission date	2007
Hydraulic head	200 metres (660 ft)
Turbines	3 x 130 MW Francis-type
Installed capacity	390 MW

Stages

Dul Hasti Stage-I

Dul Hasti Stage-I was conceived in 1985 at the initial project cost of 1.6 billion rupees (about $50 million), which kept ring to 4.5 billion rupees and later successively to 8, 11, 16, and 24 billion rupees (nearly $750 million) due to numerous delays. Construction begun in 1985 and the project became operational on 7 April 2007 after the completion of construction.^[5][3][4]

The Dam is 70 m (230 ft) high and 186 m (610 ft) long,^[4] with run-of-the-river type power plant,^[1] equipped with low-level gated spillways which can be used to flush silt load.^[6][7][a] Constructed on the Chenab River, in a rugged, mountainous section of the Himalayas, and several hundred kilometers from larger cities in the Jammu Division, it diverts water through a 9.5 km (5.9 mi) long headrace tunnel to the power station which discharges back into the Chenab. The project provides peaking power to the Northern Grid with beneficiary states being Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh.^[1]

Dul Hasti Stage-II

Dul Hasti Stage-II Hydroelectric Power Project with 260 MW capacity was under review in June 2025 for revising it's design to enhance water holding capacity before calling for the tenders to begin construction.^[2]

Current status

• 2025 Jun: "Dul Hasti Stage-I" is operational since 2007,^[3][4] and design and calling of tenders for construction were under review in June 2025.^[2]

See also

• Chenab river dams and hydroelectric projects
• Ratle Hydroelectric Plant – under construction downstream

Notes

1. The elimination of low-level spillways at the earlier Salal Dam has caused silt to build up, damaging the sustainability of the that project. Pakistan does not appear to have objected to the gated spillways at Dul Hasti.^[8]