India clears way for its biggest-ever hydroelectric scheme

India has approved plans to build the country’s biggest hydropower project in the state of Arunachal Pradesh, the Times of India reports.

The $3.9bn scheme will be built on the Dibang river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra, in the country’s mountainous northeast.

The project was conceived in the early 1980s. In January 2004, approval was granted for the clearance of a 54 sq km site in Munli village in the Lower Dibang Valley. The government then approved an investment of $186m in planning and preparation in July 2019.

The barrier will be a 278m-high, 375m-long concrete gravity dam, which will be the highest of its kind in India. This will  create a 43km-long reservoir with a gross storage capacity of 3.85 billion cubic metres.

The lead consultant for the scheme is Swedish–Finish design engineer AFRY. It carried out a detailed project report, geotechnical appraisal of the future dam’s foundations as well as the construction and project management planning.

Further reading:

  • India takes on $2.4bn worth of Nepalese hydro schemes
  • China’s “Two Sessions” meeting hears calls to speed up nuclear programme, Tibetan dam
  • Pakistan finally gives green light to controversial Indus dam in Kashmir
  • China’s plans to build massive hydropower scheme sparks “terrestrial aggression” claims from India

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