Assam to Downsize Capacity of Lower Kopili Hydro Electric Project

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources India (Delhi, India)-- State-run Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGCL) (Guwahati, Assam) has decided to reduce the designed capacity of its proposed Lower Kopili Hydro Electric Project (HEP) by 20% to maintain 'Minimum Environmental Flow' in the Kopili River. The project had earlier been conceived with a capacity of 150 MW comprising of three generation units of 50 MW each.

Reportedly, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) (New Delhi) of India had returned the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the project suggesting revision of the Hydrological and Power Potential Studies (PPS). As per the revised PPS, the proposed project will now have an installed capacity of 2x55 MW for the main power house and 10 MW for the auxiliary power house with designed energy generation potential of 437.68 Million Units (MU) and 39.03 MU respectively.

Environmental Flow describes the quantity, timing, and quality of water flows required to sustain life in water bodies and the livelihoods that depend on these ecosystems. According to APGCL, the Environmental Flow in Kopili River will now be maintained at 20% of the average of the four lean months, while in non-lean non-rainy season the release would be 20 to 25%. A higher 30% flow will be maintained during rainy season.

Lower Kopili hydroelectric project has been proposed to be developed as a storage-based scheme on the Kopili River at Longku in the east of Karbi Anglong and west of North Cachar Hills districts in the northeastern state of Assam. Lower Kopili is a downstream project of the existing Kopili project and it envisages utilization of the regulated discharge from Kopili power station as well as spillway discharges form Khandong and Umrong dams. The project will also use the discharge from the intermediate catchments by creation of a reservoir and utilizing a gross head of about 114 meter.

Pertinently, the survey and investigations for the project were initially carried out by the erstwhile Assam State Electricity Board (ASEB) during late eighties and early nineties. Based on the findings, a basic Project Report was first prepared. The project was subsequently handed over to North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) (Shillong, Meghalaya) in 1996 for further survey and investigation and preparation of DPR. Owing to much delay in completion of the necessary studies the Government of Assam in 2006 decided to return the project to APGCL for planning, development and implementation.

APGCL has submitted an updated DPR for the revised capacity to CEA for acquiring Techno Economic Clearance (TEC). Concurrence of CEA is awaited. The power utility has also applied to the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) to obtain Terms of Reference (ToR) for Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Study.

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