The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan of $231 million for the development of the Lower Kopili Hydroelectric power project in Assam. The project is located in the Kopili river and will have a capacity of 120 MW. The project will be developed by the Assam Power Generation Corporation Limited (APGCL) and is expected to address peak power demands in the state. The funding also includes $2 million which is allocated under ADB’s Japan Fund for Poverty Reduction. In Assam, it will be used for community-based disaster resilience initiatives and resource management. Further, steps would also be taken to reduce acidity levels in the Kopili river.
The funding represents the third tranche of the $300 allocated by the ADB for the Assam Power Sector Investment Program. So far, the funding has been used for the upgrading of the 70 MW Lakwa gas project and the improvement of power distribution systems in the state.
In December 2020, approved a loan of Rs 13.9 billion to upgrade the power distribution system in Bengaluru, Karnataka. In the same month, ADB approved a $562.8 million loan to strengthen the quality and reliability of electricity supply in Uttar Pradesh and Meghalaya. In July 2020, ADB signed a $17.7 million financing agreement with Spectra Solar Park Limited to invest in a 35 MW utility-scale solar PV plant in Bangladesh