Tweak to green nod OK’d, work set to start on Teesta project destroyed in 2023 flash floods | India News – The Times of India

NEW DELHI: An expert panel from the environment ministry has given conditional approval to the amendment in the green clearance to resume construction of Sikkim’s 1,200 MW Teesta Hydroelectric Project Stage-III, which was destroyed by flash floods linked to a glacial lake outburst in Oct 2023.
One of the key amendments include redesigning the dam and replacing the earlier ‘concrete faced rockfill dam’ with a ‘concrete gravity dam’ which, the project proponent said, is a “much more resilient structure, minimising the chance of dam failure due to over-topping”.
The panel while giving its nod to the project on Jan 10, however, put an environment condition: “All necessary permissions from Central Electricity Authority (CEA)/Central Water Commission (CWC) or any other agency with respect to project design and other safety parameters shall be obtained before starting the project construction work.”
In response to an observation made by the panel in its previous meeting over the dam’s design and stability, the project developer Sikkim Urja Ltd (SUL) submitted that besides redesigning, it was taking multiple other measures, including enhancing dam spillway capacity and deploying early warning system, to make the project withstand potential natural disasters in the future.
The project, located on the main Teesta river in Mangan district, was commissioned in Feb 2017 and was in successful operation till Oct 3/4 Oct 2023 when it faced a flash flood which led to the washing away of the dam and flooding of the underground powerhouse leading to halting of its operations.
Since the underground powerhouse, electro-mechanical equipment and most of the components of the project can be restored to their original condition in about 10-12 months, amendment in the environment clearance was sought by the project proponent to bring it back in operation at the earliest.
The minutes of the meeting that cleared the required amendments noted four key observations made by the panel which include the need for a thorough review of the proposed modifications to ensure the structural resilience and safety of the dam, particularly given the region’s susceptibility to extreme hydrological events.
In response, the project proponent said, “A comprehensive study for identification of potential threats due to glacial lakes has been carried out.”