Upper Siang Hydropower Project

Current Context : Under the shadow of China’s plan to build the world’s largest dam, India pushes for a counter project in Arunachal Pradesh.

About the Upper Siang Hydropower Project

• Location: Upper Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India, on the Siang River (upper Brahmaputra).
• Capacity: Proposed 11,000 MW hydropower plant.
• Developers: NHPC (National Hydroelectric Power Corporation) and NEEPCO (North Eastern Electric Power Corporation).
• Project Cost: Estimated ₹1,13,000 crore.
• Reservoir Storage: 9 billion cubic meters (BCM).
• Strategic Purpose: Countermeasure to China’s proposed 60,000 MW dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo (Brahmaputra) in Tibet.
• Local Impact: Area inhabited by Adi Tribe; relies on ‘pani kheti’ (settled agriculture) for sustenance.