The Union Environment Ministry’s Expert Appraisal Committee (EAC) has recommended environmental clearance for the 3,087 MW Etalin hydroelectric project in Arunachal Pradesh’s Dibang valley, according to minutes of its July 30 meeting.

A run-of-river scheme on the Dri and Tangon rivers, it entails building concrete gravity dams and diverting water through two separate waterway systems. The project, spread over 1,175.03 hectares, will involve felling about 2.7 lakh trees across diverse forest types, including prime subtropical pine and moist alpine scrub.

Developed by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN), the project’s earlier clearance from 2017 was reappraised as impact assessment data had lapsed. The Wildlife Institute of India’s biodiversity study recorded Schedule-I species such as red panda, clouded leopard, and Asiatic black bear.