Feb 13, 2017- With the onset of the dry season, power generation from the 70MW Middle Marshyangdi Hydropower Project has dipped by around 60 percent.
The hydropower plant is now generating only around 30MW of electricity on an average due to the significant drop in water level in the river basin.
The electricity generation started to dip from the month of November with the drop in the water level in the river. At the end of December, the project was generating 40 MW of electricity which further dipped down by the end of January.
The peaking run of the river project is generating 30MW of electricity at the peak hour in the mornings and evenings, whereas it drops down to meagre 20MW for the rest of the day.
“We are generating electricity as directed by the load dispatch centre of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA),” said Pashupati Raj Gautam, chief of the Middle Marshyangdi Project. “The maximum we can generate is 30MW for a period of three hours in the morning and as many hours in the evening.”
“The project can generate more electricity during the peak hours by storing water during the day and night time,” Gautam explained.
The power plant can generate as much as 72MW of electricity during the wet season and same quantum of electricity is generated for the period of 5 to 6 months, according to the project. Gautam estimates the electricity generation to peak after the first week of June.
The project has initiated the maintenance works after the hydropower plant started to operate under capacity. “Currently, we are using a single turbine and have started the maintenance of other,” said Gautam.
Despite a massive decline in the electricity generation from the Middle Marshyandi plant, the NEA has assured that Kathmandu Valley would remain free of power cuts in February.
The country’s peak electricity demand hovers around 1,200MW but there is the domestic output of around 450MW. To bridge the gap, Nepal is currently importing around 365MW of electricity from India through eight points.
Source: The Kathmandu Post
