ITANAGAR, Sep 19: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein has described the responsible development of Arunachal Pradesh’s vast hydropower resources as not merely a State priority but a national strategic opportunity, stressing the sector’s potential to strengthen India’s energy security and accelerate its clean energy transition.
Mein made the observation while participating in a session on ‘Financing the Energy Transition’ during the second day of the two-day conference on ‘Financing India’s Journey Towards a Viksit Bharat’, organised by the Ministry of Finance at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
Highlighting the importance of hydropower in India’s energy transition, Mein said hydroelectric power provides stable and dependable renewable energy and can complement intermittent sources such as solar and wind. He emphasised that Arunachal Pradesh, with its substantial hydropower resources, has an important role to play in meeting the country’s long-term energy requirements.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Arunachal Pradesh has an assessed hydropower potential of nearly 58,000 MW, accounting for around 40 per cent of India’s total hydropower potential. The State has set a target of harnessing 40 GW of hydropower capacity by 2047, he said.
Highlighting the progress made in the sector, Mein said Arunachal Pradesh’s installed hydropower capacity had increased from 405 MW in 2016 to around 1,200 MW, and has further risen to 2,270 MW following the recent commissioning of the Subansiri Lower Project.
He also outlined the State’s ‘Decade of Hydropower 2025–35’ vision, under which Arunachal Pradesh aims to commission 19 GW of new hydropower capacity with an investment pipeline of approximately Rs 1.9 lakh crore.
According to Mein, around 19,000 MW of hydropower capacity is already at various stages of development, including 4,880 MW under construction. The development of the sector is expected to generate more than 30,000 direct and 16,000 indirect employment opportunities, he said.
Mein, however, stressed that generation capacity must be developed alongside adequate transmission infrastructure. Given Arunachal Pradesh’s difficult terrain and remote project locations, he called for integrated planning of hydropower projects with high-capacity transmission systems and renewable energy aggregation infrastructure. Such coordinated planning, he said, would facilitate timely and efficient evacuation of power to the State grid as well as the interstate transmission network.
The Deputy Chief Minister also called for greater participation of the private sector in developing the State’s remaining hydropower potential. He sought continued support from the Government of India through appropriate incentives and facilitation mechanisms to accelerate investment and project development.
Mein said responsible development, supported by strong transmission infrastructure and wider investment participation, could enable Arunachal Pradesh to contribute substantially to India’s clean energy transition while generating employment, entrepreneurship and broader economic opportunities. He reiterated that Arunachal Pradesh’s hydropower resources, if developed with appropriate planning and financing, could serve both the State’s development aspirations and the country’s long-term energy security objectives.