Itanagar: The Arunachal Pradesh Government finalized agreements with three central public sector undertakings (PSUs) to advance the development of 12 hydropower projects, estimated at Rs 1,42,000 crore which is likely to generate 11,523 MW, within the state.
Of these projects, five, constituting a total capacity of 2,626 MW, were allocated to NEEPCO. Meanwhile, SJVN Limited secured five projects with a combined capacity of 5,097 MW, and NHPC was awarded two projects with a capacity of 3,800 MW.
The signing ceremony witnessed the presence of Union Power Minister RK Singh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu, and various officials.
State Power Commissioner Ankur Garg represented the government in signing the MoAs, while the CPSUs were represented by SJVN CMD Nand Lal Sarma, NHPC technical director Biswajit Basu, and NEEPCO technical director Ranendra Sharma.
These projects were initially allotted to independent power developers several years ago but had remained stagnant due to various impediments.
Consequently, the state government decided to involve central PSUs to breathe new life into these languishing projects, as explained by an official.
Union Power Minister R K Singh described the occasion as "historic" and expressed optimism that work on at least seven to eight of the 12 projects would commence from March next year.
He emphasized that the development of these projects would significantly contribute to fulfilling India's declared Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) target of achieving a non-fossil energy capacity of 500 GW by 2030.
In his remarks, Chief Minister Pema Khandu expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Power Minister Singh, acknowledging that these projects would not only propel the state's growth and development but also enhance the nation's power security through clean and sustainable energy sources.
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