The Ratle Hydro-Electric Project is an 850 MW run-of-river hydroelectric power project currently under construction on the Chenab River in the Kishtwar District of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is a type of infrastructure scheme involving the construction of a 133m-high concrete gravity dam. The project's origin dates back to preliminary construction starting in June 2013. It was developed to harness the hydropower potential of the Chenab River, with the current developer being the Ratle Hydroelectric Power Corporation (RHPCL), a joint venture formed in June 2021 between the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) (51% equity) and the Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation (JKSPDC) (49% equity).
The project is designed as a run-of-river scheme, which is a mechanism permitted to India on the Western Rivers under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) of 1960. The mechanism involves diverting the river's flow through four main units of 205 MW each and one auxiliary unit of 30 MW to generate power, with minimal water storage. The project is expected to generate 3,136 million units of electricity annually.
The Ratle project is directly connected to the IWT and has been the subject of a dispute with Pakistan, which alleged the design breaches the treaty. Most recently, in August 2026, an arbitral tribunal administered by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) issued an order on interim measures. This order restricted India from concreting the dam wall and power intake structure above specified levels until a World Bank-appointed neutral expert decides on the technical compliance of the project with the IWT. India has rejected the tribunal's jurisdiction and its decision.