Heed to the warnings of ill-planned approach

Challenges thrown up by the Ranganadi Hydro Electric Project (rhep) stage I, commissioned in 2002, are lessons to be learnt by the state government and the project proponents. The project involves transfer of water from the Ranganadi, a tributary of the Subansiri, into the Dikrong, which merges with the Brahmaputra. A diversion dam is located at a place called 41 KM near Yazali town in Lower Subansiri from where 160 cumecs of water is diverted through 8.5 km-long tunnels to a power station at Hoz on the Dikrong. The plan was to release this water to generate 405 mw of electricity but the power station has failed to meet the target.

Diminishing power
Project proponent neepco maintains that rhep was commissioned with a partial generation capacity of 172.4 mw. Even this has not been attained. Only in 2004-2005 did the power station generate more than 172 mw. In 2006-2007, generation fell to 109.4 mw, claims NEEPCO's annual report. But the actual power generation may still be less. According to a senior official of the state power ministry, RHEP is providing the state only 8 mw. "Since 12 per cent power is given free to the state and we get 8 mw from this project, it calculates to 67 mw of electricity generation,' the official said.

When Down To Earth spoke to NEEPCO, the officials claimed they were producing at par with the