New Delhi/Itanagar, Sep 19 (IANS) Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein said on Saturday that the state, with an assessed hydropower potential of nearly 58,000 MW — around 40 per cent of India’s total hydropower potential — is uniquely positioned to make a substantial contribution to the country’s energy security and non-fossil energy goals.
Mein, who also holds the Power and Non-Conventional Energy Resources portfolios, said that the state has set an ambitious target of harnessing 40 GW of hydropower capacity by 2047.
The Deputy Chief Minister on the second day of the two-day conference on ‘Financing India’s Journey Towards a Viksit Bharat’, organised by the Union Ministry of Finance at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, highlighted Arunachal Pradesh’s immense hydropower potential and its strategic importance in India’s clean energy transition.
Participating in the ‘Financing the Energy Transition’, Mein said that hydropower is critical to achieving India’s clean energy goals, providing stable and dependable renewable power while complementing solar and wind energy.
He emphasised that the responsible development of Arunachal Pradesh’s hydropower resources is not merely a state-level priority but a national strategic opportunity.
Highlighting the progress made in the sector, Mein said that Arunachal Pradesh’s installed hydropower capacity has grown from 405 MW in 2016 to around 1,200 MW, and has further increased to 2,270 MW following the recent commissioning of the Subansiri Lower Project.
He also outlined the state’s vision under the ‘Decade of Hydropower 2025–35’, which envisages commissioning 19 GW of new hydropower capacity, backed by an investment pipeline of around Rs 1.9 lakh crore.
Around 19,000 MW is already at various stages of development, including 4,880 MW under construction.
The sector is expected to generate more than 30,000 direct and 16,000 indirect employment opportunities.
Mein also stressed that power generation and transmission must advance together.
Given Arunachal Pradesh’s remote and challenging terrain, the Deputy Chief Minister called for integrated planning of hydropower projects with high-capacity transmission systems and renewable energy aggregation infrastructure to ensure timely and efficient evacuation of power to the state grid and interstate network.
He also underlined the importance of greater private sector participation in developing the state’s remaining hydropower potential and sought continued support from the Union government through appropriate incentives and facilitation mechanisms to accelerate hydropower development in Arunachal Pradesh.
The Deputy Chief Minister reiterated that with responsible development, strong transmission infrastructure and greater investment participation, Arunachal Pradesh can emerge as a major contributor to India’s clean energy transition, while creating significant opportunities for employment, entrepreneurship and inclusive economic growth.
Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also attended the conference.
–IANS
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