Cost price of Budi Gandaki Rs 10 per unit

    1721

    ” Consultant Tractebel submits concept design “

    KATHMANDU, March 4

    Consultant Tractebel Engineering of France has projected the cost price of electricity from the reservoir-based Budi Gandaki Project to be Rs 10 per unit.

    The concept design report submitted by Tractebel to the Budi Gandaki Hydropower Project Development Committee has stated that the project is financially and technically viable, and its generation cost will be 9.58 cents per unit. This rate is cheap as it is a reservoir based project. Generation of electricity will be cheaper if the US dollar were to weaken a bit. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has taken a decision to procure electricity from the export-oriented projects to be completed after 2020 at Rs 10.60 per unit during the dry season. The project is also scheduled to be completed after seven years.

    Budhigandaki

    “The concept design has showed that the project is cheap. We must develop Budi Gandaki anyhow,” executive chairman of the committee Laxmi Prasad Devkota said. He revealed that Tractebel has advised to design the project either to generate 630 MW or 945 MW. The estimated project cost while designing it for 630 MW is Rs 200 billion and Rs 225 billion while designing for 945 MW. Tractebel is currently preparing the detailed project report (DPR). The report has showed that the project will generate 2.50 billion units of electricity a year. Feasibility study for the project had started in February, 2013.

    Tractebel has recommended that project cost will be lowest among the three proposed models if the power house is kept at the dam site without constructing the tunnel. “The design has not been approved. We will take appropriate decision holding discussions with the government, experts and different committees as the consultant has submitted the report to us,” he revealed. He stated that the first alternative looks appropriate from the perspective of time and energy. Another proposed alternative is constructing an under-ground power house in Ghyalchowk by digging a 1.50-kilomtere from a little above the dam while the other alternative is constructing the dam at Dabung by building a 10-kilometer tunnel and constructing the power house in between by taking water to Fishling through the tunnel.

    The report states that the powerhouse should be constructed just below the dam and another re-regulated dam below that as per the first alternative. Devkota explained that a re-regulated dam is necessary to prevent impact on human settlements and nature and environment in the vicinity of river as the water coming out of the project while operating at full capacity during the peak hours can take proportion of flood. He revealed that such dam will block the massive water flow and gradually dump the water into the river.

    The committee has prepared a schedule of starting generation from March, 2021. Construction will be completed in five years after finishing feasibility study, resettlement and rehabilitation, financial management and awarding contract in two years. The committee plans to bring foreign investment for the project and also manage investment through the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), different banks and financial institutions and commoners. The country is expected to be free of load-shedding once the project is completed. The consultant has been handed responsibility of completing DPR and preparing bid documents to take the project to the stage of construction.

    The committee stated that the dam will be around 225 meters high. The project will be among 36 projects with big and high dams in the world and will affect 23 village development committees (VDC) of Gorkha and Dhading districts. A lake will be created up to 50 kilometers upstream.

    Source : Karobar Daily