| Uri Dam | |
|---|---|
| Country | India |
| Opening date | 1997 |
Uri Dam, refers to the existing Uri-I Stage-I Hydroelectric Dam Project with 480 MW hydroelectric power generation capacity [1] [2] and the downstream under-construction Uri-I Stage-II Hydroelectric Dam Project with 240 MW hydroelectric power generation capacity, [3] on the Jhelum River near Uri in Baramula district of the Jammu and Kashmir in India. Operated by the NHPC [4] and located very near to the Line of Control - the de facto border between India and Pakistan, [1] both are run-of-the-river projects because the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) gives Pakistan the exclusive right to regulate the Jhelum River. [2]
Uri-I Stage-I project dam largely built under a hill with a 10 km tunnel. [2] Uri-I Stage-I project, construction of which started in 1989 [5] and completed in 1997, cost approximately Rs. 33 billion (about 450 million EUR or US$660 million) [1] with the partial funding by the Swedish and British governments. [6] The construction was awarded by the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation in October 1989 to a European consortium called Uri Civil led by Swedish Skanska and including Swedish NCC and ABB and British Kvaerner Boving. [5] The workforce included about 200 foreigners and 4,000 Indians, many from the local area. [2] [7] [8]
Plans for constructing a 240 MW Uri-II plant were announced in 1998, [4] and foundation stone was laid in 2014, [9] and tender for construction was floated in 2025. [3] The delay in construction was caused because the Government of Pakistan objected to the project stating that it violates the Indus Waters Treaty. [4] [10] On 4 July 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the Uri-I Stage-II power project. [9] [11]
