India unveils $77 billion hydro plan as China builds upstream dam

The Brahmaputra basin spans parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal, and holds more than 80% of India's untapped hydro potential, the report said, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW

India's power planning authority has drawn up a 6.4 trillion rupees ($77 billion) transmission plan to move more than 76 gigawatts of hydroelectric capacity from the Brahmaputra basin by 2047 to meet rising electricity demand, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) said on Monday.

In a report released on Monday, the CEA said the plan covers 208 large hydro projects across 12 sub‑basins in the northeastern states, with 64.9 GW of potential capacity and an additional 11.1 GW from pumped‑storage plants.

The Brahmaputra River, which rises in Tibet, China, and flows through India and Bangladesh, holds significant hydro potential in its Indian stretch, particularly in Arunachal Pradesh on the China border.

The basin's transboundary nature and proximity to China make water management and infrastructure planning a strategic concern, amid India's fears that a Chinese dam on the Yarlung Zangbo, the river's upper course before it enters India, could cut dry‑season flows on the Indian side by up to 85%.

The Brahmaputra basin spans parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal, and holds more than 80% of India's untapped hydro potential, the report said, with Arunachal Pradesh alone accounting for 52.2 GW.

Phase one of the plan, running to 2035, will require 1.91 trillion rupees, while phase two will cost 4.52 trillion rupees, according to the CEA.

The CEA's plan also includes projects allocated to central public sector utilities such as NHPC , NEEPCO, and SJVN, with some projects already in the pipeline.

India aims to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels by having 500 GW of non-fossil power generation capacity by 2030 and becoming net zero by 2070.