The 2,000-MW Lower Subansiri Hydroelectric Project at Gerukamukh will be operational next year by August, said the NHPC Ltd.
The NHPC’s announcement came at a time when various groups including the AASU and AJYCP renewed protests against the construction of the mega-dam along the Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.
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NHPC officials said that all eight units of the dam would be operational by August 2023.
NHPC CM AK Singh assured the visiting Parliamentary Standing Committee on Energy (2021-22) on Tuesday that the project’s major components will be ready in due course so that two units (500 MW) of the project get commissioned by August 2022 and the dam is dedicated to the nation as per schedule, TOI reported.
The parliamentary panel, headed by Rajiv Ranjan, visited the project on Tuesday.
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The NHPC, in a statement on Wednesday, said the committee appreciated the work of the project team and the progress achieved so far.
The executive director of the project, Vipin Gupta, apprised the committee about uninterrupted construction activities undertaken to complete the project in spite of difficulties faced due to Covid-19 and its associated bottlenecks and natural calamity like flash floods.
Work at the project site came to a halt in 2010 following protests from anti-dam organizations including All Assam Students’ Union (AASU), Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS), and TMPK.
Work on the project resumed on October 15, 2019, following recommendations from the National Green Tribunal (NGT).
NHPC said major corrective measures, as pointed out by the NGT, have already been undertaken to address the concerns about riverbank erosion in the downstream areas.