NHPC Limited, a Navratna public sector enterprise under the Ministry of Power, Government of India, has achieved two major milestones at the 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Project, India’s largest hydropower project, located on the Assam–Arunachal Pradesh border. The milestones were accomplished during the intervening night of 31 January and 1 February 2026.
The third generating unit of the project, with an installed capacity of 250 MW, was successfully synchronised with the National Grid at 21:00 hours on 31 January 2026. Subsequently, commercial operation of the second commissioned unit (Unit 3 of 250 MW) was declared at 00:00 hours on 1 February 2026. With this development, the project has now added a cumulative 500 MW of clean hydropower capacity to the national grid out of its total planned capacity of 2,000 MW (8 × 250 MW).
The commissioning of these units marks a significant step towards strengthening India’s energy security, enhancing grid stability, and supporting the integration of renewable energy. Large hydropower projects such as Subansiri Lower play a critical role in peak power management, balancing variable renewable sources, and ensuring reliable power supply.
NHPC acknowledged the support extended by the Ministry of Power, the state governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, project partners, executing agencies, and local communities. The achievement reflects coordinated efforts across project execution, engineering, and operations teams, as well as collaboration with technology and construction partners.
The successful commercialisation of additional units reinforces NHPC’s role in advancing India’s clean energy transition and supports the Government of India’s vision of a sustainable, resilient, and self-reliant power sector. Work is progressing towards the timely commissioning of the remaining units of the project.
