Assam Refuses to Ink Subansiri Project's MoU with NHPC

New Delhi, Sept. 29 : Concerned over protest over 2,000 MW Subansiri Lower Hydroelectric Power Project (SLHEPP), the State Government of Assam has refused to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the National Hydro Power Corporation (NHPC). The SLHEPP project development is going under the state-run hydropower major NHPC.According to highly placed ministry sources, Assam's unwillingness to sign the MoU has led the NHPC -- concerned over escalation of project cost to some Rs 8,155 crore from original Rs 6,285 crore -- to seek the Union Power Ministry's intervention in the matter. The timing of Assam's reluctance could be more troublesome for NHPC as its board has recently decided to surrender two other vital hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh.