LAMJUNG, JUL 28 –
After four days of interruption, construction work on the 50-MW Upper Marsyandi Hydropower Project is all set to resume Sunday.
Citing lack of security, contractor Sino Hydro had halted the construction work on Wednesday. After six-year-old Akanshya Tamang of Khudi was drowned in the Marsyandi River last Saturday, the locals blamed the project for the incident and vandalised the projects’ vehicles.
Arjun Gurung, the project’s communications officer, said the developers decided to restart the construction work after the local administration committed to ensure security to the project and bring the vandals to the book. “A tripartite meeting between local political leaders, administration and project officials decided to ensure security to the project and take action against the culprits,” he said.
Sang Yu Min, president of Sino Hydro, had also observed the project in course of the dialogues to resolve the problem. While returning from the project site, he had informed that the project would be resumed. Earlier, the developer had sent a letter to the Embassy of China in Kathmandu, stating there was working environment at the project site. Stakeholders said as Lamjung has been recognised an investment-friendly district, the project should not be closed under any circumstances. “We will try our level best to ensure security to the project,” said Chief District Officer Baburam Bhandari.
The project said it incurred a loss of Rs 400,000 per day during the closure. Sino Hydro holds a 90 percent share in the project, while Nepali developer Sagarmatha Hydropower Company holds the rest.
According to the developers, the construction of the run-of-the-river project will cost around Rs 10 billion. As per the power purchase agreement (PPA) signed with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the project will receive 6.95 cents from the government for per unit energy.
Source : The Kathmandu Post
