India Plans 208 Hydro Projects Across Brahmaputra Basin Against China's Mega Dam Ambition

India is gearing up for a massive hydropower expansion in the Brahmaputra basin, with plans to build at least 208 projects to strengthen its energy infrastructure and counter China’s massive 60,000 MW dam project upstream on the same river, as per the news reports. 

The initiative will tap into the region’s vast untapped hydro potential while addressing flood-prone zones across the northeastern states.

Massive Hydropower Blueprint for the Northeast

As per the news reports, the plan includes developing large hydroelectric projects across 12 sub-basins of the Brahmaputra River, with an estimated total capacity of 65,000 MW. 

The ambitious plan includes India’s largest proposed hydropower project, the 11,000 MW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project (SUMP) in Arunachal Pradesh, being developed by NHPC Limited. After facing delays for nearly a decade due to local opposition, NHPC moved survey equipment to the site in May this year under security protection.

China’s 60,000 MW Mega Dam and Strategic Concerns

China has already begun work on a 60,000 MW hydropower complex on the Yarlung Tsangpo River in Tibet, known as the Brahmaputra in India and the Jamuna in Bangladesh, near the border with Arunachal Pradesh. 

The project, which broke ground in July 2025, consists of five cascade dams and is expected to be completed between 2030 and 2032. Once operational, it will be three times more powerful than the Three Gorges Dam, currently the world’s largest hydropower station.

Regional Impact and Local Concerns

The Brahmaputra basin, which spans Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Sikkim, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, and West Bengal, accounts for more than 80% of India’s untapped hydropower potential, with Arunachal Pradesh alone holding 52.2 GW of that capacity. While the hydropower development could redefine the region’s energy map, local leaders remain cautious about the ecological and livelihood risks.

Read More: India Grapples with Rare Earth Production Amid China’s Export Curbs!

Conclusion

With over 65,000 MW of potential capacity mapped out across the Brahmaputra basin, India’s hydropower expansion is both a strategic and environmental undertaking. As work on China’s giant Yarlung Tsangpo dam progresses, India’s multi-project plan underscores its resolve to secure water resources, boost clean energy output, and maintain regional balance along one of Asia’s most critical rivers.

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