"Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation is requesting an extension of the environmental clearance for its 850 MW project on the Chenab River."

Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (RHPCL) has sought an extension of the validity of the environmental clearance (EC) for the 850 MW Ratle hydroelectric project, which is under construction on the Chenab River in the Indus basin. The company has cited delays between 2016 and 2021 caused by prolonged litigation and the Covid-19 pandemic.

The extension request is scheduled to be examined by the Union Environment Ministry’s expert appraisal committee (EAC) on river valley and hydroelectric projects at its meeting on January 9.

The development comes days after Union Minister for Power Manohar Lal visited the Ratle project site and laid the foundation stone for the dam concreting works.

The project is being executed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Limited and involves the construction of a concrete gravity dam on the Chenab River in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kishtwar district. The proposed dam will have a height of 133 metres from the deepest foundation level.

The Ratle project has been among the more contentious hydropower projects in the Indus basin, particularly for Pakistan. Prior to the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) last year, Pakistan had raised objections to the project’s technical design, alleging violations of the 1960 treaty. Following the abeyance of the IWT, India has moved ahead with several hydropower projects in the region, including Ratle and Sawalkote, and has recently granted environmental clearance to the Dulhasti Stage-II project.