India is set on expediting hydropower development on the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, which flow into Pakistan. The Centre, through NHPC, plans to advance several stalled or slow-moving projects including Sawalkot (1,856 MW), Ratle (850 MW), Kiru (624 MW), and Pakal Dul (1,000 MW).

The Chenab river holds the largest potential, with 14 of the 18.21 GW identified hydro capacity across these rivers. Construction is ongoing for Ratle, and Sawalkot’s detailed project report is ready, though work is yet to begin.

A government official said, “Currently, the matter is in discussion stage and we are working on the modalities.” Operational hydro projects in Jammu & Kashmir already exceed 3.3 GW, with an additional 12.25 GW in planning and 2.56 GW under construction.

Storage remains limited, with Pakal Dul providing 0.09 maf and other projects adding up to 2.23 maf of planned storage. This follows the suspension of the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, which had limited India's capacity to store water from these rivers to 3.6 million acre-ft. With the suspension, India can now pursue flood control and storage infrastructure without constraint.