The major reason behind the existence of the various dams that exist in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is the generation of power. The major dams that exist in the state of Jammu and Kashmir are Salal Project, Chutak Hydroelectric Project, Uri Hydroelectric Dam, Baglihar Dam and Dumkhar Hydroelectric Dam.

Salal Project of Jammu and Kashmir

The major dam that contributes in the major power generation in the state of Jammu and Kashmir is the Salal Project and Baglihar Dam. The Power station that is linked to this dam has capability of generation 690 MW of electricity that leads to 3101 million units of power every year.

The Chenab River that exists in Udhampur district serves the power station built on it. The project is handled by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation. The states that are benefitted by this project are Jammu and Kashmir, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, Rajasthan and Chandigarh. 115 MW of power is generated individually by each unit and there are total six units.

Baglihar Dam of Jammu and Kashmir

The construction of the project was initialized in the year 1992 but was approved in the year 1996 and only in the year 1999 its construction began on the Chenab River located in the southern part of Doda district. This dam was named as Baglihar Hydroelectric Power Project.

The total cost incurred in building the dam was around 1 billion US dollars. The construction of the dam was partially completed in the year 2004. The project was finalized on 10th October in 2008.

The Baglihar Dam in Jammu and Kashmir that is capable of generating a total of 900 MW of power supports power for various states that are neighboring to the state of Jammu and Kashmir as declared by the Prime Minister on India.

Chutak Hydroelectric Project

River Suru that is a tributary of river Indus serves the Chutak Hydroelectric Power Plant. This plant is located in the district of Kargil. The barrage has been built in the village Sarze village while power generating plant is located on the banks of Suru River in village Chutak. The project commissioning started in the year 2006 on 23rd September while in the year 2012 in the month of November the initial three generating units were installed and made operational. The remaining one generator was made operational in the year 2013 in January.

The project was developed and commissioned by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation and Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited respectively. BHEL unit in Bhopal supplied the turbines while the Bangalore unit was responsible for supplying the control equipments. The commissioning of the project was commenced by the Northern unit of BHEL Power sector. So in current time there are total of four units that are operational.

Dumkhar Hydroelectric Dam

The project Dumkhar Hydroelectric Dam is42 meters in height while 220 meters long and is made of concrete built on river Indus that has FRL 2856 meters and MDDL 2853 meters.

Uri Hydroelectric Dam

The power generating plant that has been built on the river Jhelum in URI area of district Baramula located in state of Jammu and Kashmir. This plant is a 480 MW hydroelectric power generating plant. The project has been built by cutting the hill rocks and building a 10 km long tunnel. The dam built on the river is not too large.
The various power generating projects that are operational in the state of Jammu and Kashmir supports the adjoining states too. These dams are also major attraction for the tourists who come to visit state of Jammu and Kashmir.