Projects above 25MW being declared renewable, giving boost to hydropower

All stalled hydro projects in Arunachal Pradesh have been allocated to CPSUs, which have provided the State government with financial assistance for equity participation in the JV companies with developers.

- 

India is one of the pioneering countries on the Asian continent, with a history of more than 100 years of establishing hydroelectric power plants. It established the first hydropower station of 130KW at Sidrapong in Darjeeling, West Bengal, back in 1898. Hydropower development received intense attention from the government of India after independence. Its share in the energy mix gradually increased and reached over 45% of the total energy mix in the sixties, which has now been reduced to just over 10% in 2024. India is endowed with a Hydropower potential of around 1,45,320 MW from 592 HE Schemes, out of which 52.07 GW has been harnessed till now in the form of small and large hydro projects. Jiban Chandra Kakoti shares his views in interaction with EPR; let us know more from him.

What measures India is implementing to harness its untapped hydroelectric potential?

Currently, large hydro projects' installed capacity stands at 46,968 MW, accounting for approximately 9.98 percent of the country's total power generation capacity of 470448 MW (as of 28.02.2025).

In order to prevent the decline of hydro share in the thermal mix in the country's installed capacity, the Central government introduced the Hydro Policy in 1998 and undertook measures for the exploitation of vast hydro-electric potential in the country, especially in the North and North Eastern Regions. The policy targeted faster exploitation of vast hydroelectric potential, promoting small and mini hydroelectric projects and strengthening the role of PSUs/SEBs in taking up new hydroelectric projects and encouraging increased private investment.