SRINAGAR: The Jammu and Kashmir government has said that the 9 MW Sewa-III Hydel Power Project, commissioned in 2002, remains non-operational due to severe structural damage caused by floods, with a Rs 66.43 crore restoration plan now being pursued under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
Responding to a starred Assembly question, the Power Development Department stated that the run-of-river project, comprising three units of 3 MW each, was originally taken up in 1993 and commissioned on June 25, 2002. However, torrential rains and floods during 2023–24 caused extensive damage to critical infrastructure, including the inspection road and a stretch of the water conductor between RD 2360 and 2515 metres. The damage left parts of the water conductor exposed and structurally unstable, forcing a complete shutdown of the power house.
The government said the Jammu and Kashmir State Power Development Corporation entrusted the preparation of a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for renovation and restoration to IIT Roorkee, which submitted its report in 2022, estimating the cost at Rs 66.43 crore.
Officials clarified that the project’s current non-functionality is not due to administrative delay but a consequence of flood-related damage. The revival plan is now being aligned with a PPP framework to facilitate execution and investment.
The Centre for Innovation and Transformation in Governance (CITAG), in a meeting held in April 2025, proposed that the project be redeveloped under the PPP mode. Subsequently, the DPR has been taken up for revision and updating by IIT Roorkee in September 2025, with the final report expected by the end of April 2026.
In parallel, the matter has been placed before the Board of Directors, which has approved initiating a limited tender process for the appointment of a transaction advisor. The advisor will be tasked with preparing tender documents and recommending the most suitable execution model under the PPP framework.
The government indicated that the project will be taken up for redevelopment following the selection of a developer, marking the next step towards restoring generation capacity at the Sewa-III plant.
