Upper Trishuli 3A on track to meet deadline

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    ul 20, 2018-Around 90 percent of the civil works have been completed at the Upper Trishuli 3A Hydroelectric Project which was battered by the earthquakes of 2015, putting it on track to meet the revised power production deadline of April 2019.

    Similarly, China Gezhouba Group Company (CGGC) has completed around 65 percent of the hydro-mechanical works. The contractor resumed work on the 60 MW plant located in Rasuwa and Nuwakot districts after a hiatus of more than two years following the quake.

    CGGC has finished the rectification and maintenance of two of the dam’s four gates that were damaged by the earthquake.

    The project is planning to assess the status of the other two gates and complete maintenance on them after the ongoing monsoon, according to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the owner of the project. “The dam’s two gates were repaired after diverting the water through the other two gates. But before we can start the assessment of the remaining gates, all four gates will have to be opened to let the water out,” said Ambikesh Jha, the NEA appointed site in-charge of the project. “We plan to start repairing the remaining two gates in October.”

    Likewise, the project is about to complete the lining of the 4.1-km long headrace tunnel of the project, and most of the civil works at the powerhouse have been completed.

    The foundations are ready for the installation of the project’s two turbines. The Chinese-manufactured turbines are already on their way to Nepal and will reach the project site by August, according to Jha.

    The NEA said that the electromechanical works were also progressing smoothly. The platforms are ready for the installation of various electromechanical equipment that are on their way to the project site.

    Meanwhile, a Nepal Army technical team has mitigated landslide risk on both sides of the dam. Landslides triggered by the earthquake had damaged areas close to the dam site, posing a threat to the safety of the dam and the workers.

    The army team has completed shotcreting the hill that lies on the right side of the dam.

    Shotcreting is the process of spraying concrete throughout the surface of hills to avert landslides. Similarly, in order to prevent landslides on the left side of the dam, the army has installed nets and fences on the hill with a special type of wire.

    The army has already repaired the access road leading to the project site that was damaged by the earthquake. The NEA is building the scheme with a $114.7 million concessional loan from the Export-Import (Exim) Bank of China.

    Source : The Kathmandu post