ITANAGAR, 30 Dec: A memorandum of agreement (MoA) was signed between the government of Arunachal Pradesh and central PSU Tehri Hydropower Development Corporation India Ltd (THDCIL) for developing a 1,200 MW hydroelectric project (HEP) at Kalai-II in the Lohit river basin.
Hydropower Commissioner Ankur Garg and THDCIL Technical Director Bhupender Gupta signed the MoA on behalf of the GoAP and the THDCIL, respectively, on Saturday.
Adviser to GoAP HK Paliwal and Chief Secretary Dharmendra presided over the MoA signing ceremony.
Speaking on the occasion, Garg said that “the project will bring in investment of over Rs 13,000 crore in the state during its construction phase.
“Once commissioned, it will generate over Rs 300 crore annually in free power revenue for the state, and about Rs 25 crore annually for the local area development fund,” Garg said.
Earlier, in August, the state government had signed MoAs with three central PSUs – the NHPC Ltd, the SJVN Ltd, and the NEEPCO Ltd – for developing 12 HEPs with a combined capacity of 11,517 MW, to be developed in Subansiri, Dibang and Siang basins.
With the allotment of the Kalai-II project to the THDCIL, the state has concluded MoAs for 13 projects with a total capacity of 12,717 MW in this calendar year.
The Kalai-II project had initially been allotted to an independent power developer in 2009, but it remained stalled due to various reasons. To unlock this potential, the central and the state governments made concerted efforts over the last two years. It is the first project to be allotted to a central PSU in the Lohit basin, and is also the first project to be taken up by the THDCIL in the state.
Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said that the project will “create historic development and employment opportunities in the Lohit basin area.”
He informed that the project will be developed in partnership with the state government, which will have a 26 per cent equity share.
“The dividends from this equity participation will further augment the state’s earnings from the projects,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chief Minister Pema Khandu thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Power Minister RK Singh “for their unflinching support towards restarting the project.” and expressed the state’s commitment to “ensure full development of the hydropower potential for meeting the energy security of the country.”
He urged all stakeholders to implement the project in a mission mode. (DCM’s PR Cell)
