Overview
- State-run NHPC invited bids on February 5 for Rs 5,129 crore in major civil works at Sawalkote in Jammu and Kashmir, marking formal kickoff of the project.
- Sawalkote is a run-of-the-river scheme to be built in two stages of 1,406 MW and 450 MW between the Baglihar and Salal installations, with an expected completion window of about nine years.
- Project planning calls for year-round underground construction and reduced surface activity during monsoon months, reflecting an execution strategy geared to early commissioning.
- The tender sets a bid window from March 12 to March 20 with a 180‑day bid validity, signaling near-term procurement milestones.
- Pakistani ministries are assessing the project and may pursue an international legal challenge, according to sources, as India keeps Indus treaty procedures in abeyance and accelerates Pakal Dul, Kiru, Kwar and Ratle toward stated deadlines.