Khandu Explains Siang Project’s Water Storage Capacity

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ITANAGAR, September 30: 

Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has sought to explain the difference between hydropower capacity and water-storage capacity in the context of China’s proposed Medog project and India’s proposed Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP).

Khandu said the central issue is storage, not merely installed power capacity. 

He stated that the Medog project is reported to have around 5.5 billion cubic metres (BCM) of estimated storage, while SUMP is proposed with about 9.2 BCM of live storage.

The comparison addresses a question that has emerged repeatedly in discussions around the Siang project: how a proposed 11,000 MW project could have a greater storage figure than a project upstream reportedly capable of generating around 60,000 MW.

Khandu pointed out that megawatts and water storage measure different things.

 Hydropower generation depends partly on the height through which water falls, meaning a project can generate substantially more electricity without necessarily having a proportionately larger reservoir.

He referred to the Yarlung Tsangpo’s Great Bend, where the river encounters a significant elevation drop. According to his explanation, this geographical feature contributes to the high generation potential attributed to the proposed Chinese project.

The Chief Minister also drew comparisons with projects in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang Valley. He said the proposed Etalin project is expected to generate 3,097 MW with about 7.5 MCM of storage, while the Dibang project is designed for 2,880 MW with roughly 4 BCM of storage.

The figures illustrate his broader argument that installed capacity alone cannot be used to determine how much water a hydropower project can store.

SUMP is currently at the pre-feasibility stage, with the government saying the Preliminary Feasibility Report is intended to establish the project's technical viability and possible configuration before further decisions are taken. 

The explanation comes amid continued opposition from sections of the local population over the proposed project and its potential social and environmental implications.

Location: Itanagar 791111

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