The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $231-million loan to construct the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Power (LKHEP) plant in Assam.
This loan is the third and largest tranche of the $300-million Assam Power Sector Investment Program approved by ADB in 2014. The investment programme has so far upgraded the 70-mw Lakwa gas project and improved distribution networks in the state.
LKHEP will double the hydropower generation capacity of the Assam Power Generation Corporation. It will harness water from the Kopili River to generate a total capacity of 120 MW of electricity, particularly during peak demand periods.
“This project will produce clean energy and help address the growing demand for electricity in the state of Assam. It will also help state power companies reduce their dependence on expensive electricity from fossil fuel sources,” said ADB Principal Energy Specialist Len George. “Providing reliable power supply will promote economic growth, create employment opportunities, and attract investments.”
The project will also finance APGCL’s enterprise resource planning system and will support implementation of measures to improve financial management. It will also plan for special measures to mitigate acidity concerns in the Kopili river on the project.
In addition to the loan, a $2-million project grant from ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction will finance community-based disaster resilience initiatives and resource management.
LKHEP: Project details
According to information available from Asian Development Bank, LKHEP is designed to have a total capacity of 120 mw in two power plants: the main power plant is rated at 110 mw and the auxiliary power plant is rated at 10 mw. The main power plant will receive water diverted at the dam, while the auxiliary power plant is located at the toe of the dam harnessing the environmental flow. The main power plant is expected to operate at full capacity (base load) during the high-flow season, and operate in peaking mode during the low-flow season. The auxiliary power plant will operate throughout the day, when water is released from the bottom of the dam to maintain the environmental flow.
Power output will be evacuated to the existing Sankardevnagar substation of Assam Electricity Grid Corporation Ltd, the state transmission utility.
(Featured photograph for illustration only)
