India has prepared plans to build at least 208 hydroelectric projects in the Brahmaputra River Basin in response to China’s massive hydropower projects. All these projects will be built in 12 sub-basins, which will achieve the capacity of producing about 65,000 MW of electricity. At present this scheme is under the supervision of the Energy Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

China’s answer to the dam
According to officials, China is building a 60,000 MW capacity dam on the Yarlung Tsangpo river in Tibet (known as Brahmaputra in India and Jamuna in Bangladesh), which will be the world’s largest hydro project. In response to this, India plans to ensure balanced use and safety of water resources by building several small and big projects on the entire stretch of the river.

Biggest Project- Siang Upper Multipurpose Project
The largest among India’s proposed projects is the Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP), which will have a capacity of 11,000 MW. It is proposed to be built in Arunachal Pradesh, but has been stalled for a decade due to local opposition. In May 2025, NHPC has restarted the survey work in police security.

Importance of Brahmaputra Basin
The Brahmaputra river basin extends to Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal. The region holds 80% of India’s total untapped hydropower potential, of which Arunachal Pradesh alone has 52 gigawatts (GW) of potential.

Existing and new projects
Currently, projects with a capacity of about 4,807 MW are underway in the Brahmaputra Basin, while projects of 2,000 MW are under construction. The new scheme includes large hydro projects as well as pumped hydro storage and small (<25 MW) projects.

China’s dam called ‘water bomb’
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu had said that China’s dam is being built very close to the state border and it can prove to be a threat like a ‘water bomb’. He warned that ‘this could become an existential crisis for our tribes and livelihoods.’ The Foreign Ministry has said that India is keeping a close eye on China’s activities. Foreign Minister S. Jaishankar had formally raised this issue during his visit to Beijing in July.

Hydroelectric Power: India’s power planning agency Central Electricity Authority (CEA) has prepared a massive transmission plan worth ₹6.4 lakh crore ($77 billion) to meet the growing electricity demand in the country. Under this plan, more than 76 GW hydroelectric capacity will be delivered to different parts of the country by 2047 from the Brahmaputra Basin.

According to the report released by CEA on Monday, the scheme covers 208 large hydro projects in 12 sub basins spread across the northeastern states. These include potential capacity of 64.9 GW and pumped storage plant capacity of 11.1 GW.

This has been said in the CEA report

The report states that the Brahmaputra River, which originates in Tibet (China) and passes through India and Bangladesh, has huge hydropower potential in India’s part. Especially in Arunachal Pradesh, which borders China, its potential is highest.

According to the CEA report, the transboundary location of this basin and its proximity to China makes water management and infrastructure planning a strategic challenge. India is worried that if China builds a big dam on the Yarlung Zangbo (the upper reaches of the Brahmaputra), it could reduce the dry season water flow to India by up to 85 percent.

80% of India’s hydro resources are in the Brahmaputra basin.

The Brahmaputra basin is spread across parts of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and West Bengal. According to reports, this basin holds more than 80 percent of India’s untapped hydropower potential. Only Arunachal Pradesh has a capacity of 52.2 GW.

The scheme will be implemented in two phases

According to CEA’s plan, the first phase will run till 2035, with an estimated cost of ₹1.91 lakh crore. The second phase will run till 2047, which will cost ₹4.52 lakh crore.

Projects will be handed over to companies like NHPC, NEEPCO and SJVN

In this scheme of CEA, many projects have been allotted to central public sector companies like NHPC, NEEPCO and SJVN. Some of these projects are already in the process of construction. India aims to reduce dependence on fossil fuels and achieve 500 GW non-fossil energy generation capacity by 2030. Also, India has set a target of net zero emissions by 2070.