Guwahati: Despite strong opposition from hill-based leaders, civil society groups, and political parties, the Forest Advisory Committee (FAC) of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given in-principle approval to two large off-stream closed-loop pumped storage power projects proposed by the Assam Power Distribution Company Ltd (APDCL) in Karbi Anglong district.
Several Karbi Anglong-based organisations, student bodies, and political leaders had raised concerns over large-scale forest diversion, displacement of indigenous communities, and threats to wildlife in the Sixth Schedule hill district.
Memoranda and objections were submitted to the Centre and the state government, demanding that the projects be dropped or shifted out of ecologically sensitive areas. However, the FAC cleared the projects in principle during its meeting held on January 22, 2026.
The two projects together will add 2,400 MW of power capacity and require diversion of over 521 hectares of forest land, raising serious environmental and social concerns in the hill district.
1,500 MW pumped storage project at Lipgaon, East Karbi Anglong
The first project is a 1,500 MW off-stream closed-loop pumped storage project proposed at Lipgaon village in Diphu sub-division of East Karbi Anglong district. For this project, 441.9 hectares of Proposed Reserved Forest land under Section 4 of the Indian Forest Act has been sought for diversion.
According to the FAC meeting minutes, the forest area has moderately dense and open forest cover, with a canopy density of up to 0.6. A total of 23,726 trees have been recorded in the project area, out of which 21,767 trees are proposed to be felled. The area is also known to host wildlife such as leopard, barking deer, porcupine, slow loris, hoolock gibbon, serow, rhesus macaque, flying squirrel, king cobra and python.
The project involves construction of upper and lower reservoirs, water conductor systems, pipelines and roads. While labour camps, workshops and muck dumping sites are proposed on non-forest land, the project will still have a large footprint within forest areas.
Displacement and social impact
The project will lead to the displacement of nine families across five villages. In total, 89 families have been identified as project-affected, though a detailed Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) Plan has not yet been submitted. The FAC noted that shifting cultivation (jhum) and high dependence of local communities on forest resources exist in the area.
Wildlife and environmental concerns
The project site lies 1.25 km from the Kaziranga–Karbi Anglong Elephant Reserve and around 23.8 km from East Karbi Anglong Wildlife Sanctuary. Some project components located on non-forest land fall within the eco-sensitive zone of Morat Logri Wildlife Sanctuary, requiring clearance from the Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (NBWL) before final approval.
The FAC has directed Assam government to prepare a site-specific Wildlife Management Plan, allocate at least 2% of the project cost for wildlife conservation, and submit a Catchment Area Treatment (CAT) Plan. Approval from dam safety authorities and soil conservation measures have also been made mandatory.
900 MW pumped storage project near Tharakhunchi, West Karbi Anglong
The second project approved in principle is a 900 MW off-stream closed-loop pumped storage project near Tharakhunchi village in Donka sub-division of West Karbi Anglong district. The project requires diversion of 79.37 hectares of Reserved Forest land, while the total project area is 308 hectares, including non-forest land.
The forest area proposed for diversion includes moderately dense and open forest, with a canopy density of up to 0.7. A total of 8,147 trees have been recorded in the area, of which 6,905 trees will be felled, apart from bamboo. The forest patch is also home to wildlife species such as leopard, barking deer, slow loris, hoolock gibbon, serow, flying squirrel and several snake species.
Displacement and livelihood impact
The project will result in the displacement of seven families from five villages. Overall, 294 families have been identified as project-affected. The FAC noted that parts of the forest area are under encroachment due to habitation and jhum cultivation, and asked the state government to prepare and implement a detailed R&R Plan before final clearance.
Environmental conditions and safeguards
The project involves construction of a 70-metre-high concrete gravity dam, making it mandatory to obtain clearance from the State Dam Safety Authority (SDSA) and the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA). The area is prone to soil erosion, and the FAC has directed the preparation of a Soil and Moisture Conservation Plan.
The committee also noted the presence of a small sacred forest patch with old Ficus trees near the upper reservoir. It has recommended that this patch be conserved and considered for declaration as a Biodiversity Heritage Site under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Final approval subject to strict conditions
While recommending both projects for in-principle approval, the Forest Advisory Committee stressed that final (Stage-II) approval will only be granted after full compliance with environmental, wildlife and social safeguards. These include preparation and approval of wildlife conservation plans, catchment treatment plans, soil conservation measures, restoration of muck dumping sites, and proper implementation of rehabilitation and resettlement measures.
The committee observed that although pumped storage projects play a key role in renewable energy and grid stability, their location in ecologically sensitive forest areas and Sixth Schedule hill districts has triggered strong resistance from local communities, necessitating close monitoring and strict enforcement of mitigation measures.
Earlier objections flagged role of APDCL and private developers
Leaders of the All Party Hill Leaders Conference (APHLC), Raijor Dal, CPI(M) and other groups had accused the Assam government of deliberately using the state-owned APDCL as a “front” to secure statutory forest clearances and other approvals, while private corporations — including Greenko Energies Pvt Ltd — were alleged to be the real developers and long-term beneficiaries of the pumped storage projects.
According to these groups, because Sixth Schedule protections make direct land transfers to private companies difficult, the land and forest clearances were being taken in APDCL’s name before being quietly handed over to corporate entities.
In a representation to the MoEFCC, the APHLC warned that this practice threatens tribal autonomy and constitutional safeguards, and that no free, prior and informed consent had been obtained from affected Gram Sabhas.
The organisation said Greenko had independently applied for environmental clearance and secured Terms of Reference for the pumped storage projects but then sought their transfer to APDCL — a move critics say exposes the fiction of APDCL being the true project proponent.