NHPC’s 2,880-megawatt (MW) Dibang hydropower project is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022-23. Dibang Project is ”with in-hand forest and environment clearances”, its Chairman and Managing Director Abhay Kumar Singh said.
NHPC is waiting for the approval of the Govt. which is expected soon, Singh said, as per sources.
Dibang Project is a multipurpose hydropower cum flood moderation scheme. This is proposed on Dibang River in Lower Dibang Valley District of Arunachal Pradesh. Dibang Project is worth over Rs 30K crore. With the project’s capacity to yield 2,880 megawatts, the project is going to be India’s largest hydropower venture. The project will have the power to produce 11,223 million units (MU) of energy in a 90 percent dependable year.
According to Chairman and MD Abhay Kumar – ”We already have in-hand forest and environment clearances. We aim to begin the construction of the project in the coming April-June period. Clearances were accorded after the requisite due diligence and fulfilling all the statutory requirements.” Sharing further details, the CMD said the final forest clearance was issued by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change(MoEF&CC) in March 2020 after the submission of a compliance report by the state government.
”It is important to mention that the Mehao WIldlife Sanctuary and Dibang Wildlife Sanctuary are located about 14 km and 35 km away from the reservoir periphery of the project, respectively.”Hence, no part of the sanctuaries will be affected by the project,” Singh added. The project will take around 108 months to be constructed. Which will come up in hilly ranges against challenging weather conditions, he said, as per sources reported.
