# VK Sanju
BARAMULLA, J & K | Jammu and Kashmir is solidifying its position as a critical renewable energy provider for Northern India while demonstrating an eco-conscious infrastructure framework in the Himalayas. State-run hydropower giant NHPC Limited is executing the 240 MW Uri-I Stage-II Hydroelectric Project, a zero-submergence, zero-displacement scheme along the Jhelum River.
Estimated at a cost of approximately ₹1,930 crore, the project is designed to generate 932.6 million units (MUs) of clean electricity annually. Power generated from the plant will feed into the national grid, helping stabilize energy supply and address peak demand across the northern states and Union Territories—including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Chandigarh—alongside strengthening local grid availability within Jammu & Kashmir.
A Blueprint for Sustainable High-Altitude Hydro
Himalayan hydropower development frequently encounters public friction and environmental delays caused by broad valley flooding and human relocation. Uri-I Stage-II bypasses these ecological hurdles by employing an underground run-of-the-river architecture:
Zero Human Displacement: The expansion utilizes the existing 95-meter Uri-I barrage near the Line of Control (LoC) for its water intake. By eliminating the need for a new surface dam or reservoir, the project involves zero acquisition of private residential land and zero human displacement.
Subterranean Footprint: Diverted water travels through a parallel 10.5 km Head Race Tunnel (HRT) bored left of the valley floor into an underground powerhouse housing two 120 MW generating units.
Ecosystem Protection: Housing water channels, surge shafts, and turbines underground limits surface land clearing, protecting local forest cover and mountain topsoil from erosion.
Completing the 1,000 MW Jhelum Cascade
The implementation of Stage-II realizes NHPC’s multi-decade master plan along the Jhelum River basin, bringing the combined capacity of the Uri complex close to 1,000 MW:
Uri-I Stage-I (480 MW): Commissioned in 1997 in collaboration with a European consortium led by Swedish firm Skanska, Stage-I established subterranean, run-of-the-river power generation along the border territory.
Uri-II Hydroelectric Project (240 MW): Commissioned downstream near the LoC in 2013–2014, Uri-II captured the lower elevation drop of the Jhelum using a 52-meter concrete gravity dam.
Uri-I Stage-II (240 MW Extension): Conceived in the original master layout, Stage-II functions as a high-efficiency capacity enhancement phase, maximizing energy capture without adding new surface impoundments.
By integrating underground water diversion with regional grid distribution, the Uri-I Stage-II expansion demonstrates how Jammu and Kashmir can contribute to Northern India's power requirements while safeguarding fragile mountain habitats.
