India's largest hydro project, Subansiri dam, begins wet commissioning of first unit

North Lakhimpur: The Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project (SLHEP)—NHPC's massive 2,000 MW endeavor—began the wet commissioning of its first unit, Unit-I 250 MW, on Friday at the Gerukamukh dam site along Assam-Arunachal Pradesh border.

The commencement, marked by the successful mechanical run of the machine, officially signals the start of commissioning for the nation’s largest hydro power project.

The unit was launched in the presence of key NHPC leadership, including Bhupender Gupta, CMD, along with Directors Sanjay Kumar Singh (Projects), Suprakash Adhikari (Technical), Mahesh Kumar Sharma (Finance), Independent Director Uday Sakharam Nirgudkar, CVO Santosh Kumar, and Executive Director and Head of Project Rajendra Prasad.

NHPC CMD Bhupender Gupta hailed the achievement as an emblem of "NHPC’s engineering excellence" and a symbol of "India’s unstoppable march towards a cleaner, greener and self-reliant energy future."

He extended thanks to the Ministry of Power, the Governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, former NHPC leaderships, and all stakeholders involved.

Wet commissioning is the critical first step in bringing the SLHEP to life on the Subansiri River. Following the successful run of Unit-I, the unit will soon be synchronized with the national grid.

NHPC stated that three more 250 MW units are slated to follow quickly, which will add a total of 1,000 MW of power generation capacity this year.

Once fully completed, the SLHEP 250 MW will stand as India’s largest single hydroelectric powerhouse, contributing significantly to the nation’s energy security and sustainable progress.

Strong Opposition Continues

Despite the celebrations by NHPC, the commissioning of Unit-I was met with strong opposition from local organizations that have been involved in a two-decade-long anti-dam movement in Gerukamukh.

In a strongly worded statement, the President of Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chatra Parishad (AJYCP) pledged to continue opposing the commissioning of the SLHEP as announced by the NHPC.