Itanagar/Agartala, Nov 19 (TIWN) After Tripura, another northeastern state Arunachal Pradesh became the power surplus state after Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated the 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power plant to the nation at a function in Itanagar on Saturday.

The 600 MW Kameng Hydro Power plant was developed by the state owned North Eastern Electric Power Corporation (NEEPCO) at a cost of more than Rs 8,450 crore and in an area spread over more than 80 kilometres in West Kameng District of Arunachal Pradesh and it is 90 km From Tezpur in Assam.  “The newly built Hydro Power project would not only make Arunachal Pradesh a power surplus state, also benefiting the National Grid in terms of grid stability and integration,” a senior NEEPCO engineer told IANS. This project will contribute in a major way towards fulfilment of the country’s commitment to increase adoption of green energy, the engineer said, refusing to be named.  He said that despite the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) clearing the Kameng Hydro Power project in 2004 with an anticipated expenditure of around Rs 2,497 crore, the project cost shot up to Rs 8,450 crore due to delay in commissioning the giant power plant for diverse reasons.