After missing several deadlines, the Centrally-sponsored North-Eastern Region Power System Improvement Project (NERPSIP) is expected to fully commission by end of April 2026, though the formal completion deadline has been declared as March 2027.
According to latest statistics released by Central Electricity Authority (CEA), only five elements out of the total 446 elements were pending as of March 31, 2026.
In terms of infrastructure, NERPSIP envisages 3,222 ckm of transmission lines and 5,849 MVA of transformation capacity, of voltages ranging from 33kV to 220kV. The project spans six northeastern states – Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura.
The five unfinished elements, as of March 31, 2026, correspond to 74 ckm of transmission lines and 10 MVA of transformation capacity. One transmission line in Assam along with three lines and one substation in Tripura represent the five pending elements.
The project stands fully commissioned with respect to the remaining four states. It may be mentioned that Arunachal Pradesh is out of the purview of NERPSIP as this state, along with Sikkim, is covered in a separate Centrally-sponsored programme “Comprehensive Scheme of Transmission & Distribution System in Arunachal Pradesh & Sikkim.”
Unfinished elements
All the four pending transmission lines are stymied by right-of-way constraints. The longest unfinished line is the 33kV line from 132/33kV Hazo (New) substation to the 33/11kV Mukalmuwa substation in Assam, running nearly 30 ckm. The pending substation is the 33/11kV Srinagar (New) substation in Tripura.
Completion in FY26
Based on estimates made by tndindia.com, NERPSIP, during FY26 (April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026) saw the completion of around 653 ckm of lines and 1,193 MVA of transformation capacity. This represented roughly 20 per cent of the overall project, both in terms of lines and transformation capacity.
NERSIP
Approved in December 2014 and with Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (PGCIL) as the implementing agency, NERPSIP is being funded on 50:50 basis by the Government of India and World Bank.
The initial project cost estimate stood at Rs.5,111.33 crore (at February 2014 price level) and the same was revised to Rs.6,700 crore in December 2020.
NERPSIP’s original completion date was envisaged as December 2018, implying a gestation period of 48 months. The latest completion schedule is March 2027, though it is expected that all the five pending elements will be commissioned by end of April 2026, subject to timely resolution of RoW issues.
The total expenditure on NERPSIP, as of March 31, 2026, was Rs.5,577.50 crore with Assam and Tripura together accounting for 53 per cent.
Also read: NERPSIP completion pushed further to June 2025
Featured photograph showing a 132/33kV grid substation in Assam (source: aegcl.co.in) is for representation only