Kathmandu — Due to flooding originating from China, 250 megawatts of electricity generation from the Nepal Electricity Authority and its affiliated hydropower projects has been shut down.
According to Rajan Dhakal, spokesperson for the Nepal Electricity Authority, the 111-megawatt Rasuwa Gadhi Hydropower Project has suffered the most damage. He stated that one of the gates of the project’s dam was swept away by the flood, causing damage to the dam itself as well.
Spokesperson Dhakal stated that after the flood caused damage to the Authority’s projects located in the Trishuli Corridor, several other projects in the area were also shut down as a precaution to avoid potential risks.
He said the flood has particularly affected the projects in the Trishuli Corridor. “The projects directly impacted by the flood include Rasuwa Gadhi, Chilime, and Trishuli-3A,” he said. “Around 6 to 7 plants in the Trishuli Corridor alone are currently out of operation.”
He stated that the total production capacity of all these projects exceeds 250 megawatts.
He informed that some projects in the area were shut down due to physical damage caused by the flood, while others were intentionally shut down by the Authority by closing the gates to protect them from potential damage.
The flood has damaged the dam of the Upper Trishuli-3A project and swept away two of its gates. As a result, the 60-megawatt Upper Trishuli-3A Hydropower Project’s dam site has suffered damage, and power generation from the 21-megawatt Lower Trishuli Project has also come to a complete halt.
Madan Timilsina, Deputy Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, said that the flood swept away two gates at the dam site of the Upper Trishuli-3A project. He stated, “The dam site of Upper Trishuli-3A has been damaged, and two gates have been washed away. In addition, the tower of the Trishuli-3B hub substation, which is connected to the project, has also suffered some damage.”
According to Deputy Managing Director Timilsina, although there is no major physical damage to the project, power generation has been halted because the gates got stuck due to the high water flow. He said, “There isn’t significant damage, but the flood caused the gates to jam, leading to the suspension of power generation.”
Other projects in Rasuwa, such as Chilime, Sanjen, and Rasuwa Gadhi, have also sustained damage, but a consolidated report is yet to be received.
No Problem in Power Supply as per Demand
Despite the shutdown of large-capacity projects, the Nepal Electricity Authority has clarified that there is no issue in managing electricity demand across the country. Spokesperson Dhakal said, “Even though production has halted, there is no problem in meeting demand—we have managed the supply from other projects.”
He stated that the power outages occurring in the Kathmandu Valley and other areas are not due to a shortage in electricity production. “The power cuts are not caused by insufficient generation,” he said. “They are the result of temporary technical issues that arise during switching operations while managing the system after some projects were shut down.” He clarified that this is not a long-term problem and is only being observed during the ongoing management process.
Source: Ratopati
