Parliament Question: Status of Revenue and progress of Dul Hasti Hydroelectric Project

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF POWER RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO.1910 ANSWERED ON 09.03.2026 STATUS OF REVENUE AND PROGRESS OF DUL HASTI HYDROELECTRIC PROJECT 1910. SHRI SAJJAD AHMAD KICHLOO: Will the Minister of POWER be pleased to state: (a) the total revenue earned to date from the operational Dul Hasti Hydroelectric power project, Kishtwar, J and K; (b) the current status of Dul Hasti Stage II project in term of approval, construction timeline and financial outlay; (c) whether Government is proceeding with the original commitment for phase II to be executed as a joint venture between NHPC Ltd. and CVPPL or has that arrangement been changed; and (d) the locals who gave land for Phase I and were promised jobs against that, not yet have been employed, whether they will be considered for jobs in Phase II as part of project benefits? A N S W E R THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF POWER (SHRI SHRIPAD NAIK) (a): Dulhasti Power Station (390 MW) has been developed by NHPC Limited with financing through equity and loans / market borrowings. Revenue from the project is being realised since its commissioning in April, 2007 from sale of power at the tariff determined by the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) in accordance with applicable CERC tariff regulations. A significant portion of the revenue generated is utilised towards meeting Operation & Maintenance (O&M) expenses, debt servicing and other obligations. The earning of NHPC Limited from the project is limited only to the Return on Equity (RoE). (b): Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has concurred the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Dulhasti Stage-II Hydro Electric Project (HEP) (260 MW) on 26.05.2025. Environmental Clearance has been accorded on 07.01.2026, while Forest Clearance is not required as no forest land is involved. Further, the Board of Directors of NHPC Limited, on 20.02.2026, has accorded investment approval of the project. The construction timeline of the project is 44 months. (c): Based on Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed between NHPC Limited & JKSPDCL on 03.01.2021 wherein considering operational aspects, cost efficiency, construction & operational ease, economies of scale and to ensure synergy with Dulhasti Phase-I of the project, it has been agreed for execution of Dulhasti Stage-II HEP by NHPC Limited on BOOT (Build-Own-Operate-Transfer) basis. (d): The acquisition of private land for the Dulhasti Stage-II HEP is being done in accordance with the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013 (RFCTLARR Act, 2013). All admissible benefits to the Project Affected Families (PAFs) are envisaged as per the applicable provisions of the R&R Scheme. In case of Dulhasti Power Station, jobs have been provided to the PAFs and, at present, there are no pending cases related to providing jobs to PAFs. *******