Guwahati, Nov. 11 (IANS): The first two units -- 500 MW generation capacity -- of the state owned NHPC's Subansiri lower hydro-electric project, being set up along the border of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, would be commissioned by August next year and the project shall be dedicated to the nation as per schedule, officials said on Wednesday.
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 construction of the project.
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.
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 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 organised by FarmerProducers 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 organisations amid fears of ecological damage and loss of livelihoods.