India approves 426 MW hydroelectric projects worth $437.6 million in northeast

The Indian government has approved the construction of two hydroelectric projects in the northeastern part of the country at an estimated cost of about Rupee 36.89 billion ($437.6 million) and the plants are expected to generate a total of about 1.8 billion units of power, an official statement Nov. 25.

The government has approved the construction of Heo Hydro Electric Project in Shi Yomi District of Arunachal Pradesh, comprising three 80 MW plants for an installed capacity of 240 MW and is expected to produce 1 billion units of energy, the statement said.

It has also approved the construction of Tato-I Hydro Electric Project in Shi Yomi District of Arunachal Pradesh with an installed capacity of 186 MW, comprising three 62 MW plants, and is expected to produce 802 million units of energy.

Both the projects are expected to be completed in 50 months.

The power generated from the projects will help improve the power supply position in Arunachal Pradesh and will also help in balancing of the national grid, the statement said.

The projects will be implemented through a joint venture company between North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd. and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.

India has set a huge target of adding 500 GW of renewable energy by 2030 as it races against to time to meet its emission targets.

The country's installed renewable energy capacity is likely to increase by nearly a fourth in the next two years, driven by a large project pipeline, but it needs to keep some of the challenges in check to maintain the growth momentum, analysts said.

Installed renewable energy capacity, including large hydro, in India stood at about 201 GW as of September, and may reach 225 GW by the end of 2025 and 250 GW by the end of 2026, according to S&P Global Commodity Insights.