SRINAGAR: Electricity consumers and government establishments in Jammu and Kashmir have accumulated outstanding power dues of Rs 8,583.05 crore, while the Union Territory faces a reported power deficit of 2,300 MW during winter, according to a government reply in the Legislative Assembly.
The Power Development Department said domestic consumers account for Rs 4,385.41 crore of the outstanding dues, followed by UT and Central Government departments at Rs 2,470.13 crore and commercial consumers at Rs 1,727.51 crore.
The figures were provided in response to a starred question by MLA Irfan Hafiz on electricity tariff, power amnesty, outstanding dues and hydroelectric generation.
The government said there was currently no proposal to revoke the recently revised electricity tariff. It said tariff revisions are undertaken by the Joint Electricity Regulatory Commission (JERC) after considering the annual revenue requirement and other factors concerning the distribution companies.
The revised tariff is expected to generate an additional Rs 251 crore for the financial year 2026-27, according to the department. Despite the revision, the government said it would continue to provide more than Rs 4,500 crore in power subsidy to bridge the revenue deficit of the distribution companies, excluding their revenue expenditure.
The government clarified that the subsidised tariff applicable to Antyodaya Anna Yojana (AAY) and Below Poverty Line (BPL) consumers was not increased under the tariff order for 2026-27.
On a possible power amnesty or one-time settlement for consumers with outstanding electricity dues, including economically weaker sections, the department said the proposal was being examined on its merits.
Winter Power Availability
The government said J&K’s total installed power generation capacity, including projects operated by NHPC, stood at 3,539.70 MW. This comprised 1,197.40 MW under the J&K Power Development Corporation (JKPDC), 92.30 MW from independent power producers and 2,250 MW from NHPC projects.
During summer, J&K’s share of the installed capacity was put at 1,662.15 MW, all of which was shown as available against an average demand of 2,300 MW, resulting in a reported deficit of 638 MW.
The winter figures were substantially different. Although J&K’s share was listed at 1,737.15 MW, actual power availability was shown at 501 MW against average demand of 2,800 MW, leaving a reported deficit of 2,300 MW.
The government’s data also showed that J&K consumed 6,582 million units of electricity between April and July 2026, against a requirement of 6,977 million units. Jammu accounted for 3,489 million units of consumption against a requirement of 3,698 million units, while Kashmir consumed 3,093 million units against a requirement of 3,279 million units.
NHPC Projects
On the return of power projects to J&K, the department said no proposal was currently under consideration.
It said the Sawalkot 1,856 MW, Uri-I Stage-II 240 MW and Dulhasti Stage-II 260 MW hydroelectric projects had been entrusted to NHPC for implementation on a Build-Own-Operate-Transfer (BOOT) basis for 40 years under a memorandum of understanding signed between NHPC and JKPDCL on January 3, 2021.
The handover and takeover agreement for Sawalkot HEP was signed on December 11, 2021, after which NHPC took over the project for implementation under the 40-year BOOT arrangement. The project is currently undergoing appraisal and approval by the Government of India.
Implementation agreements for Uri-I Stage-II and Dulhasti Stage-II were signed between NHPC and JKPDCL on March 27, 2026. Both projects are under construction.
The department said the three projects would be handed back to J&K after 40 years from their respective dates of commercial operation.
