Itanagar, March 28: Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu on Saturday lauded the transformation of the Subansiri River backwaters, describing the newly formed 45-km serene lake as a symbol of the state’s “green energy” future.
The vast reservoir was created as part of the 2,000 MW Lower Subansiri Hydropower Project, India’s largest run-of-the-river project. Taking a boat ride from the dam site to the Kamle-Subansiri confluence, the Chief Minister shared visuals of the landscape, noting its “sheer scale and beauty.”
“This is not just a view. It is Arunachal Pradesh’s journey towards a stronger, sustainable future,” Khandu posted on social media.
As India’s largest hydropower project, the Subansiri Lower Project comprises 8 units of 250 MW each and is designed as a Run-of-the-River scheme with small pondage, diverting water through eight Head Race Tunnels (HRTs) to generate 7,422 million units (MU) of renewable electricity annually contributing significantly to India’s green energy future. The project features the largest dam in North-East India, a 116-metre-high concrete gravity dam, which not only strengthens regional infrastructure and grid resilience but also enhances flood moderation and water management in the Subansiri River basin.
The Subansiri Lower H.E. Project exemplifies engineering excellence, featuring India’s heaviest hydro generator rotors, largest stators and biggest main inlet valves, along with innovations such as the nation’s largest aggregate processing plants, highest-capacity batching plant and first-ever use of Rotec’s Tower Belt for dam concreting in India. As the first cascaded dam on the Subansiri River, it provides flood moderation with a 442 million cubic metre flood cushion. With a gross reservoir storage of 1,365 million cubic metres at FRL, about one-third remains empty during floods to absorb excess water and protect downstream communities.
Beyond its power generation capacity, the government aims to develop the massive reservoir into a major water tourism destination, marking a significant shift in the region’s infrastructure and ecological landscape.
