Written By, May 31 -- Mahesh Deka, Chandan Borgohain

Guwahati/Khatkhati: A major clean energy initiative for Assam has been called off after the Central government officially withdrew its request for a $434.25 million loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which was intended for the "Assam Solar Project." The cancellation, effective May 23, 2025, occurred despite the ADB's approval of the funding just seven months prior, on October 24, 2024.

The ambitious project aimed to construct a 1000 MW solar photovoltaic facility, integrated with a battery energy storage system (BESS) pilot, at Khatkhati-Longkathar in Assam's Karbi Anglong district. It also sought to enhance the state's institutional capacity for promoting and executing publi...