Arunachal banks on hydropower to increase revenue
It can be the main revenue earning source: Dy CM
Itanagar, June 14 (UNI): Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Monday said the government is making all efforts to augment state’s revenue by harnessing its own resources, especially hydropower potential.
“Arunachal Pradesh has more than 1/3rd hydropower potential of the country, however, 98% of it remain untapped due to various reasons. Arunachal depends on central government for 90% of its budget requirement. All efforts are on to enhance our internal revenue by harnessing our own state resources. Hydropower can be the main revenue earning source of the state,” Chowna Mein said.
Mein, who is the minister-in-charge of Power and Hydropower Development, on Monday virtually held a meeting with VK Singh, chief managing director, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited (NEEPCO) regarding the joint venture agreement between NEEPCO and Hydro Power Development Corporation of Arunachal Pradesh Limited (HPDCAPL) for 3,750 MW Upper Siang, 330 MW Kurung dam and 90 MW New Meling hydro-electric projects (HEPs) in the state.
He said with the constant support from the Centre, the Arunachal Pradesh government is planning to develop big as well as small HEPs, adding, efforts are also on to revamp the development of Dibang multi-purpose project and Lower Demwe project.
Mentioning that the previous Governments had allotted 168 projects to private power developers and PSUs, aggregating to nearly 46,000 MW, Mein informed due to failure to take off the projects by some of the power developers, government terminated many such projects.
He said that the state has started allocating such terminated projects to CPSUs and two projects namely, 120 MW Nafra and 90 MW New Meling HEPs, have already been decided to be allotted to NEEPCO.
Mein urged the CMD of NEEPCO to start the work on Kameng basin projects namely Nafra and New Meling HEPs as early as possible. He also requested to sort out the impediment in the implementation of the 330 MW Kurung HEP by sitting across the table.
The MOA for the project was signed in 2015.
