It is often regretted by  many  power technology specialists  that Arunachal Pradesh could have been a front ranking  electricity producing  state in  country  had its  hydropower potential been realised 40 years back. It’s a pure technical  truth that  has  been repeated by the German delegation meeting the state’s Governor a few days back, who has also sought their expertise in revamping the power scenario of  the  state.
All over  world, hydropower  is gaining wide acceptance and popularity as a leading source of renewable energy. It has got  far reaching  significance in India  since  the country still  faces   power crunch  in  many regions and  its  ideal  distribution  to  ensure  the continuance of equitable development is a huge challenge. And more importantly, its necessity is deeply felt in the  context of alarming  pollution  haunting the nation  and thus there is a general consensus that it can be a great alternative  to fossil fuels, as  hydropower plants do not emit greenhouse gases and other pollutants and the generated electricity is also cheap compared to non-renewable sources of energy such as coal. As an additional benefit, hydropower dams also regulates water flow on rivers, thus  aiding in controlling  floods.
As per the 2018 report of  International Energy Agency, the world’s premier intergovernmental body  on energy and allied issues, hydropower will remain the world’s largest renewable electricity source by 2023, meeting 16% of total global electricity demands. And for India, which  is blessed with immense amount of hydro-electric potential and currently ranking  5th in terms of exploitable hydro-potential on global scenario, there is wide scope for the growth of the sector since out of the  potential of  nearly 1,45,000 MW only about 45,400 MW has been utilized so far. Arunachal’s picture is also strikingly similar to the national one which narrates the same story of under-utilization   and also  promises for  growth alongwith. Bestowed with  hilly terrain and abundant rivers, the state  is estimated to have hydropower potential of  more than 50,000 MW, but is currently having an  installed generation capacity of a little above 116 MW.
It thus needs  little elaboration that  to meet the overall  investment targets cutting across various industries in the coming years, the state must build its power infrastructure adequately to ensure 24x7 supply of cheap yet quality electricity. And for maintaining these power projects the need for institutes like National Power Training Institute in Arunachal is increasingly also felt.
Germany had long been a power guide for India and the state can benefit a lot if collaborations in above areas come up fast. By seeking German technical collaboration, Governor has thus made a germane proposition, to be seriously pursued  by the new governments, both  in centre and state.

---

Kenter Joya Riba

(Managing Editor)
      She is a graduate in Science with post graduation in Sociology from University of Pune. She has been in the media industry for nearly a decade. Before turning to print business, she has been associated with radio and television.
Email: kenterjoyaz@easternsentinel.in / editoreasternsentinel@gmail.com
Phone: 0360-2212313

<< Back to News List