The Central Expert Group of the Union Ministry of Environment recommended issuing a green clearance for the 1000 MW Naying hydroelectric power station. This decision paves the way for obtaining other necessary permits and commencing construction of this 'run-of-the-river' type project on the Siom river in the Siang and Si-Yomi districts, located near the border between India and China, in the state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Environmental Clearance (EC) for this project has been pending for a long time. Construction will be carried out by the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation, and its estimated cost exceeds 11,835 crore rupees. The project will occupy an area of over 470 hectares and will provide a significant boost to the development of renewable energy in the region.
The ministry's Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) approved the EC at its 57th meeting held on June 29-30, setting several mandatory environmental conditions. Although 12 villages will be affected due to land acquisition for various parts of the proposed project, the panel accepted the project initiator's detailed plan regarding resettlement and assistance to displaced families.
The conditional approval stipulated that the land acquired for the project must be properly compensated in accordance with the prevailing rules of the state government and the provisions of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013.
After receiving the EC, the project initiator must obtain forest use permission under the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1986, if forest land is diverted for non-forest use, as well as obtain permission from the National Board for Wildlife, if applicable. However, the meeting protocol published on Monday noted that no component of the project is located in any declared protected area. It emphasized that within a 10 km radius of the project site, there are no national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, biosphere reserves, tiger/elephant reserves, or wildlife corridors.
Among other conditions attached to the EC are compensatory afforestation, wildlife conservation, air quality monitoring/preservation, noise monitoring/prevention, waste management, as well as risk mitigation and disaster management. The meeting protocol also stated that the project authorities must strictly adhere to the directives of the State Pollution Control Board and the state government.
