Arunachal undertakes 50 micro hydel projects to supply power to international border areas

Arunachal Chief Minister addressing the media regarding the ‘Golden Jubilee Border Village Electrification Programme, which will provide a steady power supply to the villages and defence establishments along the remote international borders with China and Myanmar.

ITANAGAR — Arunachal Pradesh government has initiated the ‘Golden Jubilee Border Village Electrification Programme’ to provide a steady power supply to the villages and defence establishments along the remote international borders with China and Myanmar, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Sunday. 

While addressing a function here, the Chief Minister said that power supply to the villages and defence establishments along the remote international borders will be done through standalone micro hydel projects.

He said that over a period of three years, the government will undertake 50 such standalone micro hydel projects of which 13 projects have already been commissioned in the first phase.

The state government has allotted 12 stalled hydropower projects with a total proposed generation capacity of 11,517 MW to three Central government PSUs and a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) was signed in this regard on Saturday in the presence of Union Power Minister R.K. Singh.

The three Central PSUs include National Hydro Power Corporation, North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Limited.

Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein, who also holds the Power and Finance portfolios, said that these projects will bring unprecedented development besides creating employment opportunities in the state.

He said the state will earn INR 3052 crore annually from the 12 per cent free power component from these projects.

“Additionally, we will also earn INR 254 crore annually for the Local Area Development Fund,” he added.

The power projects will be developed in partnership with the state government which would have a 26 per cent equity share.

The dividends from this equity participation would further augment the state’s earnings from the projects.

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