Dibang is largest hydropower project ever approved by India Project construction to take nine years, NHPC says on website
Hindhustan Times
India on Tuesday approved its largest ever hydropower project - Dibang Multipurpose Project (MPP) - in the mountainous northeastern region bordering China in a move to build renewable generation to meet rising power demand. The project will be developed by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) Limited, reported news agency Bloomberg
1. The 2,880-megawatt Dibang hydropower project is being built in the Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh on the Dibang River. It has received an approval for an estimated investment of 319 billion rupees ($3.9 billion) and is said to take approximately nine years to build.
2. The project is aiming for the construction of a 278m high Concrete Gravity Dam (above the deepest foundation level), 6 Nos. horseshoe-shaped head race tunnels of length varying from 300m to 600 m with 9 m diameter, an underground Power House, and 6 Nos. horseshoe-shaped tailrace tunnels of length varying from 320m to 470 m with 9m diameter.
3. The project's primary objective is to serve flood control and is based on storage. Once built, the 278-meter-tall dam will be India's tallest.
4. The government of Arunachal Pradesh will receive 1346.76 MU or 12% of the project's cost after completion.
5. According to LiveMint, Rs. 241 crores will be spent on the community and social development plan, Rs. 327 lakhs will be spent on a plan to safeguard the local people's culture and identity.
Energy World
India approved its largest ever hydropower project in the mountainous northeastern region bordering China as the country seeks to build renewable generation to meet rising power demand.
The government approved the estimated investment of 319 billion rupees ($3.9 billion) for the 2,880-megawatt Dibang project in Arunachal Pradesh, state-run hydropower producer NHPC Ltd. said Monday. The project is estimated to take nine years to build.
India has classified hydropower as renewable energy and sees it as key in its transition away from coal to help manage the fluctuations caused by intermittent solar and wind supplies. However, the large-scale environmental damage and dislocation of communities to construct dams has hampered those plans, with local protests delaying projects and adding to construction costs.
Dibang, which will be built over more than 5,000 hectares (12,360 acres) of forest land, faces similar risks, according to Himanshu Thakkar, coordinator for nonprofit South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People.
The company’s nine-year timeline is optimistic when accounting for potential delays because of local protests and geological difficulties, he said. “The cost is going to be much higher and benefits much lower,” Thakkar said. “There’s really no viability for such projects.” The approved investment includes 67.2 billion rupees of government support for flood moderation and enabling infrastructure, such as roads and bridges connecting the construction site.
NHPC didn’t respond to an email seeking comments. Several other projects in the Himalayan region are running years behind their original schedule, with some blamed for loosening the earth and forcing local evacuations. “The Himalayan region is such a disaster-prone area and every such project is going to act as a force-multiplier for potential disasters,” Thakkar said.