CEA draws up Rs 6.4 lakh crore green plan for evacuating hydropower from Brahmaputra
New Delhi: India’s Central Electricity Authority has drawn up a Rs 6.4 lakh crore plan to build a massive transmission lines network to evacuate over 76 gigawatts of hydroelectric power from projects on the Brahmaputra river by 2047 to meet the country’s energy demand and reduce dependence on fossil fuels like coal.
In a report released on Monday, the CEA said the plan covers as many as 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub-basins in the northeastern states, with 64.9 GW of potential capacity and an additional 11.1 GW from pumped-storage plants.
The Brahmaputra, which originates in Tibet, flows across Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, and West Bengal, and holds more than 80 per cent of India’s untapped hydro potential, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW, the report states.
Phase one of the plan, which is to be implemented till 2035, will require Rs 1.91 lakh crore, while phase two will cost Rs 4.52 lakh crore, according to the CEA’s estimates.
The plan entails adding over 31,000 circuit kilometres of transmission lines, installing 68 gigavolt-amperes (GVA) of transformation capacity and building 42 GW of high-voltage direct current (HVDC) carrying capacity.
The CEA plan includes projects allocated to central public sector utilities such as the NHPC, the NEEPCO, and the SJVN, with some projects already in the pipeline.
India aims to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by having 500 GW of non-fossil power generation capacity by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2070.
The project is crucial for India to meet its growing electricity demand and transition away from fossil fuels. It also addresses the strategic concerns posed by China’s construction of a mega-dam on the Brahmaputra, which could adversely impact downstream water flow through India.
China’s separate and larger hydro project on the Brahmaputra has been a major point of concern for India and Bangladesh. This upstream dam has given rise to fears that China could control or divert water flow, which would reduce dry-season flows in India.
CEA’s plan for the Indian basin of the river is a strategic response, demonstrating the country’s intent to develop its own hydro potential and asserting its water rights. The move is also critical for achieving India’s renewable energy goals.