MoEFCC recommends EC for Kalai II, Dulhasti Stage-II and Pane PSP projects

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) held the 45th meeting of its Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) for River Valley and Hydroelectric Projects on 19 December 2025 to review key hydropower and pumped storage proposals, including the Dulhasti Stage-II project. The committee examined four proposals and recommended three for Environmental Clearance (EC), while one proposal was deferred.

The first proposal considered was the Kalai II Hydro Electric Project of 1,200 MW, a run-of-the-river scheme proposed in Village Kamdi, Tehsil Hawai Town, Anjaw District, Arunachal Pradesh by THDC India Limited. The project is located on the Lohit River, a left bank tributary of the Brahmaputra River, and plans to utilise a gross head of about 125 metres to generate power. The project covers 869.3503 hectares and requires diversion of an equivalent area of forest land, currently under process on the Parivesh portal after recommendation by the Government of Arunachal Pradesh. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 14,176.26 crore, with Rs. 67,830.73 lakh allocated for the environmental management plan and a recurring cost of Rs. 61.16 lakh per annum. The EAC recommended the project for EC.

The second proposal was the 260 MW Dulhasti Stage-II Hydro Electric Project, a run-of-the-river extension to the existing 390 MW Dulhasti Stage-I project in Kishtwar District, Jammu and Kashmir by NHPC Limited. The project draws upon provisions in the Detailed Project Report of Stage-I and is linked to the 1,000 MW Pakal Dul Hydro Electric Project on the Marusudar River. Dulhasti Stage-II will utilise existing structures of Stage-I, while developing new components including a 3,685 metre Head Race Tunnel, surge shaft, pressure shaft and an underground powerhouse with two units of 130 MW each. The project requires 19.37 hectares of non-forest land and has an estimated cost of Rs. 3,277.45 crore, including Rs. 4,564.57 lakh for environmental measures and an annual recurring environmental cost of about Rs. 286.60 lakh. The EAC recommended the project for EC.

The third proposal reviewed was the Pane Open Loop Pumped Storage Project of 1,500 MW by JSW Energy PSP Seven Limited in the Districts of Pune and Raigad, Maharashtra. The project involves upper and lower reservoirs with storage capacities of 8.22 million cubic metres and 13.48 million cubic metres respectively, supported by concrete gravity dams. It is designed to generate peak power for 6.39 hours daily and pump water back to the upper reservoir using 1,685 MW over 7.03 hours. The total land requirement is 293.50 hectares, including 66.91 hectares of forest land for which forest clearance has been sought. The estimated project cost is Rs. 9,446.15 crore, with Rs. 39.16 crore allotted for environmental management and Rs. 1.59 crore per annum as recurring cost. The EAC recommended the project for EC.

The fourth proposal, the Rewa Off-Stream Closed Loop Pumped Storage Project in Madhya Pradesh by Dhakara Energy PSP Private Limited, was listed for fresh Terms of Reference (ToR) consideration. However, the project proponent expressed an inability to attend earlier meetings in August 2025 and again communicated constraints on 11 December 2025. The EAC agreed to defer the proposal for consideration in a future meeting.

The featured photograph is for representation only.