Etalin Hydel Project
Why it Matters?
India’s largest proposed run-of-the-river hydroelectric project at Etalin in Arunachal Pradesh faces renewed environmental scrutiny amid rising concerns over China’s upstream dam on Yarlung Zangbo.
What You Should Know?
The Etalin Hydel Project is a 3,087 MW run-of-the-river project in Dibang Valley, Arunachal Pradesh.
A run-of-the-river project implies negligible or no water storage.
It involves construction of concrete gravity dams on the Dri and Talo rivers.
The Dri and Talo rivers are tributaries of the Dibang River, which feeds into the Brahmaputra River.
The proposal was recommended for environmental clearance by the Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) in 2017.
The Central Electricity Authority has approved 13 hydroelectric projects in Arunachal Pradesh, totaling 13,798 MW.
Other major hydel projects under construction are Subansiri Lower, Dibang Multipurpose Project, and Lower Kopili (Assam) with a combined capacity of 5,000 MW.