Arvind Kumar Mishra

Arvind Kumar Mishra is Managing Director, Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority of Bhutan (MHPA) possessing more than 40 years of rich professional experience in Hydro Power Sector. Prior to joining MHPA, he was General Manager of 3000MW Dibang Multi-purpose Project. He served NHPC over 31 years in various capacities and made immense contribute in various fields including Design & Engineering, investigation and construction of large hydropower projects. He earned his Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering from Madhav Institute of Technology & Science, Gwalior and M. Tech in Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering from the prestigious Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. He joined NHPC in February 1979 as Executive Trainee (Engineering) and rose to the level of Executive Director. His first assignment in NHPC was at Loktak Hydroelectric Project, a project full of technical challenges in remote and difficult area in Manipur. He has undergone two-month training in design of underground caverns in France. He has wide experience of managing very large hydropower projects like 690 MW Salal HE Project in J&K, 1000 MW Indira Sagar Project in Madhya Pradesh and 800 MW Parbati HE Project, Stage-II in Himachal Pradesh. His diversified experience includes Design and Engineering of civil structures of 300 MW Dulhasti Project and Kalpong HE Project located in Andaman & Nicobar; Contract Management in all its aspects, Monitoring of various hydropower projects and proactively advising & directing project management to keep progress of project on track. Since 2010, as Managing Director of MHPA, with his innovative ideas, strong technical and management skills steered the 720 MW Mangdechhu Hydro Power Project to get completed in time , which was jointly inaugurated by Hon’ble Prime Minister of India and Bhutan and is under commercial; operation bringing laurels to Engineering fraternity and exploding the myth that hydropower projects are prone to time and cost overruns. At this project, he is credited with two bold and visionary decisions to provide cut-off wall in upstream coffer dam and scientific treatment of shear zones in Underground Power house. He is affiliated with several professional and Engineering associations and organisations in India and abroad as Life Member and Fellow like American Society of Civil Engineering, USA; International Tunnelling Association, Switzerland; Institution of Structural Engineers, London and had been Vice-President of Indian Society of Rock Mechanics & Tunnelling Technology. Currently, he is Vice president of Indian Society of Engineering Geology. He is recipient of many distinguished awards like CBIP award for best developer in hydro sector, Outstanding Contribution Award in Infrastructure Sector as well as In Power Generation and Individual Professional excellence Award by Aqua Foundation. He has more than 50 technical papers and articles to his credit published and presented in National & International Conferences.