Energy Projects in News 2025: Nuclear | Thermal | Hydroelectric

• Near Mahi Dam in Rajasthan.

• Project Developer: Anushakti Vidhyut Nigam Limited (ASHVINI), a joint venture of Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).
• The project is part of the Indian government’s “fleet mode” initiative to construct ten identical 700 MW PHWRs across India.

• North India’s 1^st Nuclear project is coming up in Gorakhpur, Haryana.

• It is a proposed nuclear power plant to be built in Gorakhpur village of Fatehabad district of Haryana.
• Developed by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL).
• Foundation stone laid in 2014. 1^st phase of units one and two is expected to be operational by 2031.
• Initially, it will have two pressurised heavy water reactors (PHWRs) of 700 MW each, for a total planned capacity of 2,800 MW (four reactors).
• Will use PHWR technology, which is indigenously developed.
• The plant will use water from the Bhakra canal for cooling.

• Ministry of Power has approved Adani Power Limited to connect its Godda Ultra Super Critical Thermal Power Plant in Jharkhand to the Indian power grid.

• Godda plant was declared an SEZ in 2019 and has since supplied electricity exclusively to Bangladesh under a bilateral power purchase agreement.
• The plant will be linked to India’s Inter-State Transmission System (ISTS) through a Line-In Line-Out (LILO) connection of the Kahalgaon A-Maithon B 400 kV line.
• The Power Ministry invoked Section 164 of the Electricity Act, 2003, granting APL the same rights as a telegraph authority under the Indian Telegraph Act, 1885, for laying overhead lines.

Read More > Power markets in India and their working

• Centre for Earth Sciences and Himalayan Studies (CESHS) has successfully drilled northeast’s 1^st geothermal production well at Dirang in Arunachal Pradesh’s West Kameng district.
• It has been identified as a medium- to high-enthalpy geothermal zone.

• Developed near the convergence point of the river Chenab and the Singad and Bela streams, near the Patharnakki and Kiru villages ithe n Kishtwar district of Jammu and Kashmir.
• It is being constructed between the existing Kirthai II (upstream) and Kwar (downstream) hydel power projects, at an estimated cost of Rs 4,287 crore.
• It is being developed by the Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL).
  • It is a joint venture of the National Hydroelectric Power Corporation, the Jammu & Kashmir State Power Development Corporation and the Power Trading Corporation.

• On Chenab River in Jammu & Kashmir has received environmental clearance from Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Implementing Agency: National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC) Ltd.
• Marks the first major hydropower clearance on Indus River system since India suspended the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) with Pakistan in April 2025.
• Designed as a run-of-the-river project, it will harness the Chenab’s natural flow without constructing a large storage dam.
• Includes 192.5-metre-high Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) gravity dam.

• Union Environment Ministry has recommended environmental clearance for the Oju hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh.

• It will be the largest hydro project in the Subansiri basin by approved capacity.
• Location: Subansiri River, 5 km downstream of Redi village, Taksing block, Arunachal Pradesh.
• Developer: Oju Subansiri Hydro Power Corporation Pvt. Ltd.
• The project’s proximity to India-China border adds strategic importance but also raises concerns of ecological fragility in a border-sensitive region.

• Centre approves 700 MW Tato-II Hydro Project in Siyom River Basin, Arunachal Pradesh.

• Implementation: Joint venture between North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) and the Government of Arunachal Pradesh.
• Power Share: Arunachal Pradesh to receive 12% free power, plus 1% Local Area Development Fund.

Read More > Tato-I Hydro Electric Project

• Karnataka’s Sharavati Pumped Storage Hydroelectric Project faces corruption allegations. It would cut off critical habitat connectivity between Gerusoppa-Kyadagire and Govardhanagiri-Jog forests.
• 2,000 MW Pumped Storage; Uses Talakalale (upper) and Gerusoppa (lower) reservoirs, with water pumped uphill during off-peak hours and released to generate electricity.
• Key Infrastructure: Includes tunnels and pumping stations to supply drinking water to Bengaluru.

• West Bengal has approved the construction of a new bridge over the Teesta River, enhancing connectivity between West Bengal and Sikkim.

• Located on Teesta River, 1,200 MW Teesta-III hydel project was severely damaged.
• Original dam structure was a 60-meter-high concrete rockfill dam.
• New structure will be a 118.64-meter-high concrete gravity dam.

Additional Bridges Over Teesta River

• Singtam Bridge: A 300-foot Bailey Suspension Bridge inaugurated in August 2024, enhancing connectivity in Sikkim.
• Munshithang Bridge: A 360-foot Bailey Suspension Bridge opened in March 2020 near Chungthang, North Sikkim, facilitating movement in the region.

• Multipurpose project located in Manipur; Installed capacity of 105 MW.
• Commissioned in 1983; operated by National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC).
• Located on Loktak Lake, which receives inflows mainly from the Khuga and Imphal rivers.
• Ithai Barrage, a key component of the project, serve as an artificial reservoir to maintain consistent water levels for reliable power generation.

• Run-of-the-river hydroelectric project under construction on Sutlej River in Shimla, Himachal Pradesh.
• Implemented by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), a joint venture between GoI and Govt. of Himachal Pradesh.
• Forms a component of the broader Luhri Hydroelectric Project, which is being executed in three separate phases along the Sutlej River in Himachal Pradesh.

• Fire broke out in an under-construction tunnel at the Kwar Hydroelectric Project.

• It is a 540 MW (4x135MW) run-of-the-river power project under development by Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL) on Chenab River in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir.
• To be commissioned in March 2028.

• Fire broke out in an under-construction tunnel at the Kwar Hydroelectric Project.

• It is a 540 MW (4x135MW) run-of-the-river power project under development by Chenab Valley Power Projects Private Limited (CVPPPL) on Chenab River in Kishtwar district of Jammu & Kashmir.
• To be commissioned in March 2028.

• Vaigai Dam was constructed in 1959 across Vaigai River.
• It serves as the primary irrigation source for vast agricultural lands in Madurai and Dindigul districts and supplies drinking water to Madurai and Andipatti.
• The dam houses a 6 MW hydroelectric power station, contributing to local energy generation.

Vaigai River

• Origin: Emerges from Varusanadu and Megamalai hills in the Western Ghats.
• Course: Flows southeast through the Pandya Nadu region and empties into the Palk Strait near the Pamban Bridge in Ramanathapuram district.
• Major Tributaries: Suruliyar, Mullaiyar, Varaganadhi, Manjalar, Kottagudi, Kridhumaal, & Upparu.
• The river receives a vital inflow from Periyar Dam through a diversion tunnel cutting across the Western Ghats.
• Cultural Significance: Revered as one of Tamil Nadu’s ancient rivers, celebrated in Tamil classics like Silappatikaram and Thiruvilayadal Puranam.

• Siang Upper Multipurpose Project is a proposed 11,000-megawatt hydropower project on Siang River in the Upper Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh, aimed at being India’s largest dam.
• National Hydroelectric Power Corporation (NHPC) will build the project.
• It would need the construction of a 300m high dam, the largest in the subcontinent when completed.
• Purpose: Intended to serve as a strategic countermeasure to Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibet by China which becomes the Siang in India, later forming the Brahmaputra in Assam.
• Proposed Sites: Beging/Paring, Ugeng and Dite Dime in Siang district of Arunachal Pradesh.