Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh Government on Saturday allotted 12 ‘stalled’ hydropower projects to three Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs) namely, National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited, Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd (SJVN), and North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) by signing Memorandum of Agreements (MoAs) with them.
The MoAs were inked in presence of Chief Minister Pema Khandu, Union Power Minister RK Singh, State’s Deputy Chief Minister cum Minister in-charge of Power & Hydropower Chowna Mein and other dignitaries in a ceremony held at the State Golden Jubilee Banquet Hall here.
The total operational capacity of these 12 projects, withdrawn from the private players, will be to the tune of 11,523 MW, Chief Minister Khandu said.
Of the 12 hydroelectric projects, NEEPCO has been allotted five projects. They are Tato-I HEP (186 MW), Tato-II HEP (700 MW), Naying HEP (1000 MW), Hirong HEP (500 MW) and Heo HEP (240 MW) — all in the Siang basin.
The SJVN has also been entrusted with five projects, including Amulin HEP (420 MW), Emini (500 MW), Mihumdon HEP (400 MW), Etalin HEP (3097 MW) and Attunli HEP (680 MW) –all in Dibang basin.
While the hydro giant NHPC Ltd will take up the construction of Kamala HEP (1800 MW) and Subansiri Upper HEP (2000 MW) in the Subansiri basin.
These projects were initially allotted to independent power developers about 15 years ago but remained stalled due to various reasons. To unlock this potential, the Central and the State Governments made joint and concerted efforts over the last two years. The efforts bore fruit and the award of these projects to CPSUs today will help restart their execution.
While thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Power Minister for their unflinching support, Chief Minister Khandu said that the award of these projects is a historic moment not only for the state but for the entire nation.
“On the one hand, they will give a tremendous boost to the growth and the development of the state and on the other, they will augment the country’s energy security through clean and green energy,” Khandu said. He exhorted the stakeholders to implement these projects in a mission mode in the overall interest of the state and the nation.
The signing of these MoAs and allotment of these projects to Hydro CPSUs shall prove to be a significant step towards harnessing the immense hydroelectric potential of Arunachal Pradesh. Development of these projects will contribute towards achieving the declared Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of the non-fossil energy capacity of India to reach 500 GW by 2030, the Union Power Minister said, adding that hydropower shall be an effective contributor to the objective of net zero carbon emissions by 2070.
These projects are also expected to create huge employment opportunities in the region and boost the local economy as well as foster skill development and technical expertise in the region. With these projects, an estimated investment of about Rs 1,42,000 crore will flow to Arunachal Pradesh, he said.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said that the projects will bring unprecedented development and employment opportunities to the state.
He said that the state will earn Rs 3052 crore annually from the 12% free power component from the projects. Additionally, we will also earn Rs 254 crore annually for the Local Area Development Fund.
The projects will be developed in partnership with the State Government which will have a 26% equity share. The dividends from this equity participation will further augment the State’s earnings from the projects, he said.
Earlier, while welcoming the dignitaries, Chief Secretary Dharmendra expressed how the State is a front-runner towards meeting the Prime Minister’s commitment of producing at least 50% of energy through renewable sources by 2030. State government’s adviser Dr HK Paliwal gave a brief about the projects.
On behalf of the State Government, the MoAs were signed by Commissioner (Hydropower) Ankur Garg, while NEEPCO Director (Technical) Ranendra Sharma, SJVN CMD Nandalal Sharma, and NHPC Director (Technical) Biswajit Basu signed the MoAs on behalf of the respective CPSUs.
