ADB and the Government of India signed the loan agreement on Wednesday. This is the third tranche loan for the ongoing Assam Power Sector Investment Program, which was approved by the ADB board in July 2014. The programme, including its two previous tranches, focuses on enhancing capacity and efficiency of the energy generation and distribution systems in Assam to improve electricity service to end users. The proposed hydroelectric project is run-of-the-river project over Kopili river which will help increase electricity supplied from clean energy by 469 gigawatt-hour (GWh) by 2025 and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 3.6 lakh tonnes of carbon dioxide annually, ADB said in a release.
$231 Million ADB Loan to Help Increase Supply of Clean Energy in India
News Release | 19 December 2020
MANILA, PHILIPPINES (19 December 2020) The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a $231 million loan to construct the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric Power (LKHEP) plant in Central Assam, India.
This loan is the third and largest tranche of the $300 million Assam Power Sector Investment Program approved by ADB in 2014. The project has so far upgraded the 70-megawatt (MW) Lakwa gas project and improved distribution networks in the state.
The LKHEP plant will double the hydropower generation capacity of the Assam Power Generation Corporation. It will harness water from the Kopili River to generate a total capacity of 120 MW of electricity, particularly during peak demand periods.