Silchar, June 13: The Union power ministry has given its nod to the Tuivai hydel project in Mizoram after 16 years, raising hopes that construction would soon begin.

A Mizoram government official today said the hydel project, estimated to cost Rs 2,010 crore to churn out 210MW power, would be implemented on public-private partnership model. The official, however, made it clear that the share of the Mizoram government would be 51 per cent while the rest would be the bidder’s.

C.L. Thangliana, the Mizoram government’s engineer-in-chief, who is now on a tour of Champhai district on the Indo-Myanmar border in Mizoram, today said over phone that the site of the project would be in Champhai.

He said the global tenders for its prospective private partner had already been floated, adding that the selection would be completed soon. He said the project would take at least five years to complete.

An official report on the Tuivai project, a copy of which was obtained by The Telegraph, said the project was originally estimated to cost Rs 927.83 crore in 1997 and Neepco had bagged the contract.

Sources said the project, however, did not start because of funds constraints faced by both New Delhi and Aizawl at that time, forcing Neepco to opt out of it.

Mizoram chief minister Lalthanhawla, who is also the state’s power minister, recently set the ball rolling and secured the Centre’s approval.

The project will have three units — each having the capacity to produce 70MW of hydropower.