Guwahati, March 15: The NHPC expects to commission the Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project in a few months, which will be the India’s biggest hydroelectricity project in the northeast.
The recommendations of various committees have been implemented in the design and construction of the 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project.
India is gearing up for higher power demand this summer, with the met department saying the country is likely to experience heat waves between March and May. Peak demand for electricity is expected to climb to 229 gigawatts (GW) in April.
It will cater electricity to the entire region, which has been facing power problems since shortages.
The Subansiri Lower project is the first among many dams planned by the government to harness the hydel potential in Arunachal Pradesh, which has an estimated capacity of 50,000 MW out of a total of 145,000 MW for the entire country. So far, 26 percent of the potential has been exploited nationwide.
The project triggered controversies and agitations in Assam owing to fears over the safety and downstream impact of the dam.
Construction work was stalled from 2011 to 2019 due to protests by civil society groups in the state whose concerns stemmed from the region’s vulnerability to earthquakes.
NHPC has said that concerns over the safety of India’s biggest hydroelectricity project in the northeast are misplaced and adequate safeguards have been incorporated.
