Overview
- NHPC declared the Subansiri Lower project's Unit 4 commercially operational, raising live capacity to 1,000 MW with four of eight turbines running.
- The dam, built on the Subansiri River along the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border, is India’s largest hydropower scheme at 2,000 MW across eight 250 MW units.
- Arunachal Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein praised the milestone and voiced confidence in smooth commissioning of the remaining units by the end of 2026.
- Chief Minister Pema Khandu sought central support and ministry tie-ups to keep the schedule on track and link the project to tourism and local livelihoods.
- Officials say full operation would strengthen power supply in the Northeast and advance clean-energy goals, with more than 2,500 jobs and about 150,000 tourists a year projected as construction, paused for years over environmental and social concerns, resumed in 2019 and recently saw India’s heaviest hydro rotor installed for Unit 5.