Arunachal Hydropower Projects: 2626 MW in Shi-Yomi

Itanagar, Dec 6 (PTI) Five hydropower projects with a total installed capacity of 2626 MW are in the pipeline in Shi-Yomi district of Arunachal Pradesh, Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said.

He said that all these five projects to be set up in four places would be executed by the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO), a government of India enterprise.

"We have challenges in terms of difficult terrains and topography. We need to convert these challenges into resources and hydropower is one way of doing it," Khandu said.

Of the five hydropower projects, two will come up at district headquarters Tato with capacities of 700 MW and 186 MW. The three others will be set up at Heo (240 mw), Naying (1000 mw) and Hirong (500 mw).

Khandu said that the projects would be executed by NEEPCO, replacing private agencies engaged earlier.

"These projects were to be executed by private companies that had entered into MoUs with previous state governments but they failed. We made it a point that only trustworthy agencies with expertise and central government backup will be engaged," he said.

Urging the people of the district to cooperate with the executing agencies, the chief minister said the entire state would benefit from the projects as it would get a share of 12 per cent free power.

Shi-Yomi will get a 2 per cent share, Khandu informed a gathering at a function celebrating the Podi Barbi festival of the Bokar (Adi) community at Monigong in the district on Tuesday.

"Our objective is development of our villages. The more the state government earn, the more we invest in developmental projects," Khandu added.

"The state's revenue in 2016 was Rs 900 crore. Then we formed our government and went for drastic reforms. You will not believe that in 2023, our state's own revenue clocked Rs 3500 crore," he said.