India is developing an 11,000 MW hydroelectric project on the strategically significant Siang River in Arunachal Pradesh. One of the individuals named earlier stated, "The project's objective is not only to generate power, but also to regulate floods," adding that state-owned NHPC Ltd had submitted a pre-feasibility assessment for the Upper Siang Multipurpose Storage project.
The project, spearheaded by the ministry of jal shakti, will aim at live storage of 9 billion cubic meters of water. The report on the project has been sent to the Central Electricity Authority for approval. "The pre-feasibility report for the project was submitted around December end," said the person quoted above. "The next step after its approval would be the pre-detailed project report."
NHPC may be asked to develop the project as a joint venture with either North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd or the Arunachal Pradesh government, according to the sources. The cost of setting up a hydroelectric project is generally ₹6-10 crore/MW, and the gestation period for such projects is usually over nine years, depending on the size and the works. The most significant river in Arunachal is the Siang, which serves as the main tributary of the Brahmaputra. Yarlung Tsangpo, the river's Chinese name, is where it originates. In order to generate 60,000 MW of energy, China also intends to construct a dam on its portion of the river.
