New Delhi: Adani Power, India’s leading private power producer, and Bhutan’s state-owned Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) on Saturday signed landmark agreements to develop the 570 MW Wangchhu hydroelectric project in Bhutan.
The accords, signed in the presence of Bhutanese Prime Minister Dasho Tshering Tobgay and Adani Group Chairman Gautam Adani, will see the project executed on a Build, Own, Operate, Transfer (BOOT) model. With an estimated investment of ₹6,000 crore, the initiative is expected to generate jobs, upgrade infrastructure, and deepen energy cooperation between India and Bhutan.
Construction from 2026
The detailed project report has been finalized, with construction scheduled to begin in early 2026. The hydro project is expected to become operational within five years of groundbreaking.
Designed as a peaking run-of-river plant, Wangchhu will help meet Bhutan’s winter energy demand, while surplus electricity generated in the summer months will be exported to India.
Adani Power CEO SB Khyalia said the project underscores Bhutan’s role in sustainable development and will significantly strengthen its renewable energy portfolio. DGPC Managing Director Dasho Chhewang Rinzin added that the collaboration would fast-track implementation and set benchmarks for future projects. He reaffirmed Bhutan’s ambition to install 15,000 MW of hydropower and 5,000 MW of solar capacity by 2040, making clean energy central to the nation’s growth strategy.
Broader Energy Partnership
The Wangchhu project is the first initiative under a broader framework agreement signed in May 2025, through which Adani Group and DGPC will jointly develop 5,000 MW of hydropower capacity in Bhutan.
During his official visit to India, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay described the pact as a “historic milestone” in bilateral clean energy cooperation. His trip also featured cultural engagements, including a visit with his spouse to the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Temple in Ayodhya.
Earlier, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar met Tobgay and reaffirmed that the India-Bhutan partnership remains “unique and time-tested.”