The 24 megawatt Trishuli hydropower facility, which is situated in Nuwakot’s Bidur Municipality-9 Trishuli Bazar, is now undergoing rehabilitation and modernization by the Nepal Electricity Authority.
The power plant’s rehabilitation and modernisation have begun as a result of the equipment’s deterioration and aging, as well as the reservoir’s filling with soil and sand after it has been in service since BS 2023.
Through the renovation and modernization project with an estimated cost of Rs 75 crore, the electromechanical equipment in the control room of the power plant will be modernized and automated. After removing the soil and sand accumulated in the reservoir spread over about 400 ropani land, the restoration work has been started.
In addition, a new bypass canal with a length of 1,200 meters with a capacity of 50 cumec water flow has been constructed from the right side of the reservoir. Now electricity is being produced through this bypass canal. Since the canal is in operation, the work of removing the soil and sand from the reservoir is continuing without stopping the power generation.
The restoration of the reservoir, which started last May, is being worked on with the goal of completing it by this February. The work of making the power house automatic will be completed within one year. For this, a contract has been signed and some equipment is under production, while power transformers and other equipment have been supplied to the center.
A high-level team including Managing Director Kulman Ghising, Deputy Executive Director Dilghayu Kumar Shrestha visited the rehabilitation work and instructed them to complete the entire work within the specified time.
After the restoration of the reservoir, the power house can be operated at its full capacity for four hours daily during the time when the demand for electricity is high (peak). In winter, electricity can be produced by using the water stored in the reservoir and from the Pypass canal for peaking.
Head of the center, Baburaja Maharjan, mentioned that the reservoir will not be used during the rainy season, and as the structure has been built to stop the flood from the shallow rivers, it will not be filled with sand and soil like in the past.
Bidur municipality has prepared a master plan to develop around the reservoir as a tourist area. The municipality has plans to run a boat on the reservoir, build a footpath and garden on vacant land.
The Trishuli hydropower project was built with Indian grants. It has been designed to generate 163 million units of electricity annually from the semi-reservoir Trishuli hydropower station. In the last financial year (FY) 2078-79 BS, 137.1 million units of electricity were produced from the power plant. Till last year, 5.69 billion 3.9 million units of electricity have been produced from the center.
The initial capacity of the center was 21 MW, which was built with the help of INR 140 million. Later, through its restoration, the capacity was expanded to 24 MW. 15 MW Devighat hydropower station is also running as a cascade of Trishuli hydropower station.
