Pre-feasibility report
Also called: PFR · Topic: Infrastructure: Transport, Communications and Energy · NCERT: Beyond NCERT
Meaning
A pre-feasibility report (PFR) is the first, rough study of a proposed project. It looks at the site, the basic design, the likely cost and the main risks. Its purpose is to decide whether the project is worth studying in detail at all. It does not approve anything. If the PFR looks promising, the project still needs an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), which studies harm to nature, a Social Impact Assessment (SIA), which studies effects on people and their land, and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) before construction can be considered. A PFR is cheap and quick, so it saves the government from spending heavily on projects that will not work.
Example
The proposed 11.2-GW Siang Upper Multipurpose Project in Arunachal Pradesh, with NHPC as the developer, is still at the PFR stage. Surveyors are only gathering early site data. The SIA, EIA and DPR all still have to be done, so the dam is not under construction.
Don't confuse with
- Detailed project report (DPR): a DPR comes later and is the full blueprint. It sets out exact designs, cost estimates, financing and timelines, and it is the basis for sanction and funding. A PFR only tests whether the idea deserves a DPR.
- Environmental impact assessment (EIA): an EIA is a legally required study of the harm a project could do to the environment, and it is needed for clearance. A PFR is an early check on whether the project can be built and what it might cost. It is not a clearance.