Myagdi, Oct 29: Five hydropower projects with a total capacity of 167.3 megawatts are in the final stages of construction in the Raghuganga Rural Municipality of Myagdi district. Located at the foot of the world’s seventh-highest mountain, Dhaulagiri (8,167 meters), the projects on the Rahughat and its tributaries are preparing for electricity production.
According to Bhaba Bahadur Bhandari, Chairman of Raghuganga Rural Municipality, the physical progress of three of the projects is over 80%. He mentioned that the 22.5-megawatt capacity of the Thulokhola hydropower project, which is 50% complete, is also set to begin electricity production within the next year.
“The 48-megawatt Upper Rahughat, 37.5-megawatt Mangale Rahughat, and 21.3-megawatt Thulokhola hydropower projects, which have over 85% physical progress, are in the final stages,” Bhandari stated. “The construction of the 40-megawatt Rahughat and the 22.5-megawatt Upper Thulokhola projects is also gaining momentum.”
Rahughat to start production within a year
Raghuganga Hydropower Limited, fully funded by the Nepal Electricity Authority, is working on the Rahughat hydropower project, which aims to start electricity production by March 2025. Raj Bist, the project manager, reported that the breakthrough of a 6.27 kilometer-long tunnel have been accomplished on last Srawan, and most of the dam and powerhouse structures have been completed.
Two projects by Tudi Power
The promoters of Upper Rahughat and Mangale Rahughat are Tudi Hydropower. Engineer Prakash Timilsina confirmed that the tunnel construction is completed and the powerhouse and dam constructions are in their final stages. The powerhouse of Upper Rahughat is located approximately 400 meters above the dam.
Construction of the Mangale Rahughat and Rahughat hydropower projects commenced in 2020 with a budget of NPR 14 billion. Engineer Narottam Karki from Upper Rahughat indicated that efforts are being intensified to achieve a goal of beginning electricity production within the next four to five months.
Thulokhola awaits transmission line
The 21.2-megawatt Thulokhola hydropower project, promoted by Joint Energy Limited, has completed its infrastructure development. On Kartik 8, the Federal Cabinet approved the use of 6.6 hectares of national forest land for constructing a 220 kV transmission line for the Thulokhola project.
Engineer Sanjeev Neupane stated that the project is waiting for the transmission line and substation to be constructed. The Upper Thulokhola hydropower project, with a capacity of 22.5 megawatts, is also progressing, with around 60% of its dam and penstock pipeline construction completed.
The electricity produced by the projects, except for Upper Thulokhola, will be connected to the central transmission line from the Raghuganga-3 Ambang Rahughat substation to the central grid. In contrast, the electricity from Upper Thulokhola will be transmitted to the Dhana substation.
In addition to these projects, there are also five hydropower projects in the vicinity of Rahughat: Bagarkhola (5.5 megawatts), Syanokhola (4.75 megawatts), Upper Thulokhola (4.90 megawatts), and Upper Thulokhola (15 megawatts), all nearing completion.
Transmission line and substation under construction
The electricity generated by the ongoing projects in Myagdi and on the Raghuganga River will be integrated into the national grid, with substations and transmission lines being constructed with funding from the Asian Development Bank.
On December 31, 2021, a contract worth USD 26 million was signed with the Indian company Larsen & Toubro (L&T) for the construction of a 132 kV transmission line and substations connecting Raghuganga Rural Municipality-3 Rahughat and Ambang. Due to the work not being completed within the stipulated 30 months, the contract’s duration has been extended by 15 months. Project chief Roshan Agrawal reported that the deadline has been extended to November 16, 2025.
“Over 50% physical progress has been achieved in the overall project within the designated 30 months,” he noted. “Delays in obtaining permits for tower construction in forest areas, community disputes at some tower construction sites, and challenges due to the weak terrain and disaster risks in Rahughat have extended the construction timeline.”
The civil works for the Dandakhet substation, which will install equipment with a capacity of 133/33 kV and 30 MVA using AIS technology, are 60% complete. The design issues at the Rahughat substation have led to delays in the contract execution, and construction resumed in the Nepali month of Jestha of this year with a Nepali contractor, DL Structure.
At Ambang, 90 ropanis of land were acquired for the substation five years ago. Of the 82 towers planned for the 132 kV double circuit transmission line, about 40 have been constructed so far.
The tower construction sites for the transmission line are located in Raghuganga Rural Municipality Ward No. 3, Benighat Rorang Municipality Wards 9 and 10, and Mangala Rural Municipality Ward No. 1, as well as in Malika Wards 6 and 7. Four hydropower projects with a total capacity of 172.8 megawatts have also commenced construction on the Myagdi River. #electricity #nepal #transmissionline
