Indian Dams in Burma ‘Unfeasible,’ Study Finds

29 January 2013

India’s planned strategic investments in Burma took a hit this week after an Indian government study deemed two long-planned hydropower projects on the Chindwin River in west Burma “unfeasible,” the Hindustan Times reports. The 1,200-megawatt hydrodam at Tamanthi northwestern Chin State bordering India could only become economically viable if the Indian or Burmese government stepped in to provide funding for the dam, the report found. The smaller 600-Mw dam at Shwzaya, located on the same river, was “not technically possible,” a government official told the Times. The news is a blow for India’s “Look East Policy,” which aims to build up Indian economic interests in Burma.