KATHMANDU, Feb 19: The government has awarded power generation licenses to three hydropower projects with total generation capacity of 36.36 megawatts. The promoters of the projects have been asked to complete their financial closures for project development within a year.
According to the Department of Electricity Development (DoED), 30 MW Nyadi Hydropower Project, 4.36 MW Tungun Thosne Khola Hydropower Project and 2 MW Khani Khola Hydropower Project were granted the licenses last week.”The developers will have to show their financial closures within a year from now,” Gokarna Raj Pantha, senior divisional engineer at the DoED, told Republica.
According to Pantha, Nyadi Hydropower Pvt. Ltd — a subsidiary of Butwal Power Company — has received generation license to develop Nyadi Khola Hydropower Project. “The estimated construction cost of Nyadi Khola project is Rs 6 billion,” Pantha informed.
The run-of-the-river project based in Bahundanda, Lamjung is projected to be completed within four years from the start of construction. “The developers have submitted the letters of intent from the banks as their financial sources,” Pantha said.
The developer will have to construct 7-km transmission line of 132 kV capacity to connect the project with the national grid. “The power generated from the Nyadi Khola will have to be connected to the substation at Khudi,” Pantha said. The project was first identified in 1993 when the government was working on the Small Hydropower Master Plan. Cowel International (P) Ltd — a company supported by German Development Agency (GIZ) had conducted the first feasibility study of the project.
Likewise, Pashupati Energy Development Company Limited has acquired generation licenses for Tungun Thosne Khola and Khani Khola hydropower projects. “Pashupati Energy has agreed to develop both the projects in two years,” Pantha said. The developer has already started construction of the projects that are based in Bhattedanda, Lalitpur.
The developer will have to lay a 4-km transmission line to connect the project with the national grid at Malta substation.
Meanwhile, the government has scrapped the survey license of 675 MW Upper Panpu Khola that was awarded to Diwas Bahadur Basnet in 2007. “The survey license was cancelled after the project´s environmental impact assessment report was not approved because the project is located inside the Annapurna Conservation Area in Mustang district.”
Source : Republica
