Foundation stone of 600-MW Kameng Hydropower Project laid

BURAGAON (Arunachal), June 4 ? The long-cherished dreams of the people of West Kameng district in particular and Arunachal Pradesh as a whole were fulfilled on Sunday with the laying of foundation stone of the Rs 3,000 crore 600 MW Kameng Hydropower Project at Buragaon, in West Kameng in Arunachal Pradesh on Sunday last. The 600 MW Kameng Hydropower Project is located at Buragaon, around 90 km from Bomdila ? the district headquarter of West Kameng of this tribal-dominated Himalayan State. ?With the laying of the foundation stone of this mega power project, the long-cherished dreams of the people of Arunachal Pradesh have finally been fulfilled,? Union Minister for Power Suresh Prabhu said, adding, ?this is the starting point of development in Arunachal and north-eastern region, especially in the power sector.? The Union Minister called upon the people to cooperate with the State government and the executive agency ? the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Limited ? for proper execution of works. He said, while executing the works of this mega power project the ecology of the area should not be disturbed at any point of time.

Prabhu later disclosed that the Centre is contemplating to tap the rich hydropower potential of the region soon without causing any damage to its basic ecological balances. ?North-east will become the richest region in the nation if all the hydro-power potential is exploited properly,? he said. He said the laying of foundation stone of the mega Kameng Hydropower Project is the beginning of the development in the power sector of the Arunachal in particular and NE in general.

Chief Minister Mukut Mithi, who has been pursuing the Centre for starting the work on the project as early as possible, asked the NEEPCO officials to pay adequate compensation to the people who are likely to be affected due to the execution of the projects. Arunachal Pradesh government and the NEEPCO officials signed an MoU in March 1999 for execution of the multi-crore Kameng Hydropower Project on river Kameng in West Kameng district as a Central sector power project. The main attraction of this power project lies in its low estimated tariff, high annual energy generation of 3952 mega watt per hours, with firm power availability of 151 mega watt and minimum submergence. The estimated costs of the project is Rs 3000 crore. A 96.50 metre-high concrete gravity-type dam would be constructed across the river Bichom of a site four km downstream of the confluence of rivers Bichom and Digen. The Bichom dam would have its fixed reservoir level (FRL) at 770 metres and minimum draw discharge level at 762 meters long with ogee-shaped (S-shaped) concrete spillway with five numbers of radial gates each of 13.5x10 metres size. A concrete lined tunnel of 8.75 km length and 6.70 metres diametre will be constructed across the river Tenga. The Tenga Dam will have its FRL at 770 metres and MDDL at 747 metres with a 46.50-meter long ogee shaped concrete spillway with three numbers of radial gates each of 13.5m x 8m size.