Centre-backed PSU push aims to revive stalled mega hydro projects in the state.

NHPC Plans ₹30,000-Crore Investment for Etalin Hydropower Project in Arunachal Pradesh.

State-run power major NHPC Ltd is firming up an investment proposal of around ₹30,000 crore for the 3,000-megawatt Etalin hydropower project in Arunachal Pradesh, according to people familiar with the development. The project, earlier allotted to SJVN Ltd and before that to private developers, was handed over to NHPC in November 2025 to accelerate execution. Etalin is planned as a run-of-the-river project with two concrete gravity dams on the Dri and Tangon rivers, tributaries of the Dibang. The project is located in the Dibang Valley district, where NHPC is already developing the 2,880 MW Dibang Multipurpose Project. NHPC said a memorandum of agreement with the state government is in process, and approvals are underway. The move aligns with Arunachal Pradesh’s strategy to involve central public sector undertakings to revive long-delayed hydropower projects. It also follows the Union Cabinet’s recent approval of two hydro projects in the state worth ₹40,000 crore, underscoring renewed momentum in Northeast hydropower development.