NEW DELHI: An expert appraisal committee of the Union environment ministry has granted clearance to the 2,220MW Oju hydroelectric project located in a strategically important region in Arunachal Pradesh’s Upper Subansiri district bordering China. One of the largest run-of-river hydro projects in India, it will cost around Rs 25,000 crore and is likely to take at least five years to be completed. It is India’s third-largest hydroelectric project to get environmental clearance after the 3,087MW Etalin and 2,880MW Dibang project, both also in Arunachal. Set up real-time early warning system for project: Panel Oju is the largest in a series of dams proposed on Subansiri river and has been in the pipeline for nearly 20 years. It involves a 100-metre-high concrete gravity dam, over 14 km long headrace tunnel and an underground powerhouse complex. The expert appraisal committee, while giving its nod for the project earlier this month, directed the developer to include ‘glacial lake outburst floods’ scenarios in the design flood estimates, establish a real-time early warning system and conduct community preparedness drills. The panel has also mandated a post-commissioning environmental impact study after five years.
