News Brief
Assam: Long Awaited Subansiri Hydroelectric Project Ready, Will Start After Receiving Nod From Dam Safety Authority
Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (NHPC Ltd).
The National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) on Monday (30 June) announced that it is awaiting final clearance from the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) to begin commissioning three 250 MW units of the Assam's Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, Assam Tribune reported.
“In continuation of our earlier letters... it is to inform that clearance from NDSA is awaited for the commercial operation of 3 units (250 MW each) of the Subansiri Lower HE Project. Further, development in this regard will be informed in due course,” the Assam Tribune quoted NHPC as saying.
The 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower project, being developed under the Ministry of Power, is one of India's largest hydroelectric initiatives and a run-of-the-river project with water storage on the Subansiri River.
Located near North Lakhimpur on the Arunachal Pradesh–Assam border, the project’s nearest railhead is Nagaon, and the closest airports are Lilabari and Dibrugarh.
NHPC had earlier indicated plans to commission the first three units by June 2025, while the remaining five units, also 250 MW each, are expected to be completed in a phased manner by May 2026.
As a result of the eight-year delay, the project cost escalated from Rs 6,285 crore in 2005 to approximately Rs 26,000 crore.
The project will comprise a total of eight generating units, with power allocation to several states. Assam will receive 533 MW and Arunachal Pradesh 274 MW, while the remaining northeastern states, Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Tripura, and Mizoram, will collectively get 198 MW.
In addition, 387 MW will be supplied to northern states such as Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Chandigarh, and 613 MW will be allocated to western states including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, and Goa.
With an estimated annual energy generation of 7,421.59 million units (MU) in a 90 per cent dependable year, the project is seen as a key component in boosting renewable power capacity in the northeast.
