Indian Express: State-owned NTPC Ltd has wrapped up the pre-feasibility report for a proposed 9,750 MW Siang Upper hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh. It is moving fast on the strategic project since India realises it is urgent to speed up building dams on the Brahmaputra and establish “lower riparian right”. This will help New Delhi create a strong bargaining position to detract China from building hydel projects on the upper reaches of the 
river. The completion of the pre-feasibility report sets the ball rolling on what could be the country’s largest hydel project and the second biggest in Asia after China’s Three Gorges. The Siang Upper project — part of a shelf of hydro stations the Centre hopes to build on the Brahmaputra — entails an investment of nearly Rs 1,00,000 crore over a 10 year period. Efforts to harness the Brahmaputra comes amid reports of Chinese plans to construct hydro-electric projects on the upper reaches of the river involving the setting up of a massive dam on the bend of the Yarlung Tsangpo — the Tibetan name for the Brahmaputra. The Centre is also simultaneously trying to convince Arunachal to allot at least one storage hydroelectric project in each of the sub-basins of Siang, Lohit and Subhansiri rivers. “NTPC has submitted the PFR (pre-feasibility report) to Arunachal. It focusses specifically on avoiding submergence of important towns in the region,” a government official involved in the exercise told The Indian Express. The project would mark a big jump in hydro sector exposure for the predominantly thermal power major, which is currently working on a shelf of around 1,700 MW of hydel capacity. Of this, NTPC plans to commission its much-delayed 800 MW Koldam project in Himachal Pradesh next fiscal, which will be its first hydro project to be commissioned.Source: Indian Express
