India announces $77 billion hydroplan as China builds upstream Dam
Central Electricity Authority, India's power planning agency, has developed a transmission plan worth 6.4 trillion rupees (77 billion dollars) to move over 76 gigawatts in hydroelectric capacity out of the Brahmaputra Basin by 2047. This is to meet the rising demand for electricity.
The CEA released a report on Monday that said the plan covered 208 large hydroprojects across 12 subbasins of the Northeastern States, with a potential capacity of 64.9 GW and an additional 11 GW coming from pumped storage plants.
The Brahmaputra river, which originates in Tibet and China and flows through India, Bangladesh and India, has significant hydro-potential in its Indian section, especially in Arunachal, near the China border.
Water management and infrastructure planning are a major concern for India, given the basin's proximity to China and its transboundary nature.
Fears that a Chinese dam
On the Indian side, the Yarlung Zangbo could reduce dry season flows by up to 85%.
The Brahmaputra Basin spans Arunachal, Assam and Sikkim as well as parts of Meghalaya and Manipur. Arunachal Pradesh accounts for 52.2 GW.
According to the CEA, phase one, which runs until 2035, requires 1.91 trillion rupees. Phase two, however, will cost 4,52 trillion rupees.
Some projects are already underway in the CEA plan, which includes projects for central utilities like NHPC, NEEPCO and SJVN.
India wants to become net-zero by 2070 and reduce its dependency on fossil fuels. It aims to have 500 GW of nonfossil energy generation capacity by 2030. Sethuraman N.R., Tasim Z.A.D. (Reporting)
(source: Reuters)