Power projects with ₹1 trn investment underway in Arunachal: CM Pema Khandu

Five of these projects of 2,620 MW have been allocated to NEEPCO, five projects of 5,097 MW to SJVN and two projects with a capacity of 3,800 MW to NHPC

Multiple hydro-power projects with an investment of over ₹1 trillion are underway in Arunachal Pradesh to produce 18,000 MW of power, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said.

Five of these projects of 2,620 MW have been allocated by the state government to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO), five projects of 5,097 MW to Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN) and two projects with a capacity of 3,800 MW to the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).

"As of now, on the ground, the work for generating a total of 18000 MW of hydro-power is on. In the coming days, we will add more projects. All these projects involved more than ₹1 trillion investment," Khandu told PTI in an interview here.

He said these projects were earlier allotted to private sector developers but remained non-starters due to various reasons. The Arunachal Pradesh government, therefore, decided to rope in central hydro PSUs to give a push to the languishing projects.

"These projects remained on paper only as the developers did not take an initiative.

"After I became the chief minister, I reviewed all the projects and cancelled them. I have conveyed to the central government that a hydro power project means big investment. Private companies are not in a position to execute them. Only the government of India should take the initiative," he said.

The chief minister said the state government held a meeting with the prime minister and, after that, zeroed in on central PSUs -- NHPC, NEEPCO and SJVN -- and signed agreements basin-wise.

He said wherever there were immediate doable projects, the state government signed the MoUs for the development of 13000 MWs last year.

"Besides these, there are some ongoing projects like the Lower Subansiri hydro-electric project of 2000 MW. It will start generating power from next year.

"There is one more project which is even bigger than the Lower Subansiri -- that will produce 2880 MW power. Work on this project has also started," he said.

Once operational, the Lower Subansiri hydro-power project will be the biggest hydropower plant of India.

After that, the proposed 2880 MW Dibang multipurpose hydroelectric project is expected to be commissioned in 2032. It will also have the tallest dam in India with a height of about 288 metres.

There are five major river basins in Arunachal Pradesh -- Kameng, Subansiri, Siang, Dibang and Lohit.

As per comprehensive studies carried out by the government, the hydro power potential of Arunachal Pradesh is assessed to be around 67,000 MW. However, this huge potential is yet to be realised.

Besides the major river systems, the state is also blessed with numerous small to medium-sized rivers with favourable hydropower development parameters like available head and ample perennial discharge, like the Tawang Chu, Nyamjangchu, Panyor, Sissiri, Kamle, Dihing, etc.

The state is crisscrossed by small rivulets, which are perennial in nature and provide ideal conditions for developing projects in the category of micro and mini and small hydro-power projects.