Damauli (Tanahun): Tanahun Hydropower Limited is set to begin construction of an access road for the 126-megawatt Lower Seti Hydropower Project. The company, which is currently constructing the 140-megawatt Tanahun Hydropower Project, has moved forward with the Lower Seti project by utilizing water that would otherwise go to waste from the existing project.
According to Shyamji Bhandari, Chief of the Tanahun Hydropower Project, contractors have already started building the access road and establishing project offices. He said the plan is to construct the Lower Seti Hydropower Project in the downstream area by using regulated water released from the Tanahun project along with additional flow from the Madi River. It has also been reported that the project’s Detailed Project Report (DPR) has been completed.
Land acquisition process moves forward
The process of acquiring private land required for the construction of project structures has also been advanced. According to the company, a proposal has been submitted to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation for approval to proceed with the acquisition of private land needed for various project components.
32-meter-high dam and 6.8-kilometer tunnel
Under the project, a 32-meter-high dam will be constructed on the Seti River near Sarangghat in Bandipur Rural Municipality–6 and Devghat Rural Municipality–3. The regulated water from the dam will be channeled through a 6.8-kilometer-long tunnel passing through Devghat–3 and 4, and dropped into a semi-underground powerhouse to be built on the right bank of the Kaligandaki River in Devghat, about 500 meters downstream from the confluence of the Seti River, for electricity generation.
Which areas will be affected?
It has been reported that some parts of Bandipur–6, Byas Municipality–13 and 14, Devghat Rural Municipality–2, 3 and 4, Rishing Rural Municipality–1 and 3, Aanbukhaireni Rural Municipality–5 and 6, and Bharatpur Metropolitan City–29 will be affected by the project.
To be connected to a 220 kV transmission line
A semi-underground powerhouse will be constructed in Gaighat, Devghat–4, to generate electricity. The generated electricity will be connected to the 220 kV Damauli–New Bharatpur transmission line built by the Tanahun Hydropower Project and integrated into the national electricity system. For this, an additional approximately 2 kilometers of transmission line will need to be constructed.
12 km reservoir, 520 million units annual production
The Lower Seti Project, which will have a semi-reservoir, is reported to have a reservoir about 12 kilometers long, stretching from the dam site to Sundegau. The project is estimated to produce 520 million units of electricity annually. The estimated cost of the project is NPR 25 billion.
Consultancy agreement finalized
The company has already obtained survey permission for electricity generation for the project. Additionally, it has been reported that on November 5, 2018 , the company signed an agreement with the JV of WAPCOS (India) and Nippon Koei (Japan) for consultancy services to prepare the detailed engineering design and bidding documents, funded through a grant of approximately 3.5 million US dollars received from the donor agency ADB (Asian Development Bank).
Jalasarokar
