Assam’s much awaited Subansiri dam to be operational by August next year

As per NHPC, it is primarily for hydropower with flood cushion and designed to moderate floods with the integrated operation of proposed middle and upper projects

PGurus Newsdesk

November 11, 2021

As per NHPC, it is primarily for hydropower with flood cushion and designed to moderate floods with the integrated operation of proposed middle and upper projects

Subansiri Hydroelectric Project along Assam-Arunachal border will start operation next year by August

National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) has announced that the 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border will start operation next year by August[1]. It is the largest hydropower project under construction in the country with an annual power generation capacity of 7421.59 Million Units (MU).

Officials said on Wednesday that the first two units of the state-owned NHPC’s Subansiri lower hydroelectric project would be commissioned by August next year. The project shall be dedicated to the nation as per schedule.

The 2,000 MW capacity Subansiri Lower HE Project, located near North Lakhimpur on the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, is the biggest hydroelectric project undertaken in India so far and is a run of river scheme on river Subansiri.

The project is the first cascaded dam on the Subansiri. As per the NHPC, it is primarily for hydropower with flood cushion and designed to moderate floods with the integrated operation of proposed middle and upper projects.

The Chairman-cum-Managing Director of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) A K Singh apprised the visiting Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy (2021-22) about the progress in the construction of the project.

Executive Director, Subansiri Lower HE Project Vipin Gupta apprised about the uninterrupted construction activities undertaken in spite of difficulties faced by the project due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated bottlenecks, natural calamity like flash floods.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee headed by its Chairman Rajiv Ranjan Singh took a review meeting with senior management of the NHPC, which presented the details on the status of the works made by the corporation.

Singh appreciated the hard work of the project team and the progress achieved so far. The standing committee members also visited an exhibition organized by Farmer Producers Companies registered for Livelihood interventions initiated by NHPC in the field of Piggery, Sericulture, and Handloom in the Downstream areas of the project.

They appreciated the efforts and initiative of NHPC towards sustainable livelihood for the people living in the downstream areas.

The original work of the Subansiri Lower project was started in 2006 and resumed more than a year ago during the COVID-19 lockdown after being stopped in 2011 following protests by various local organizations amid fears of ecological damage and loss of livelihoods.

The project triggered a political storm and has been an issue in every election in the state since 2011. The opposition parties have cornered the ruling government, citing threats to life and property in the downstream areas of Assam from the dam. Construction had come to a halt in 2011 following massive protests. As per NHPC sources, due to the prolonged delay, the project’s cost escalated to around Rs.20,000 crore from the earlier estimate of Rs.6,900 crore.

[With Inputs from IANS]