22.5 MW Upper Thulokhola Hydropower Project Connects to National Grid After Successful Testing

Myagdi. Electricity generated from the 22.5 megawatt capacity 'Upper Thulokhola' hydropower project has been connected to the central transmission line.

The physical structure construction, equipment installation, and internal testing of the project, built by Thulokhola Hydropower Limited in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7, have been completed, and electricity has been fed into the central line. Project Chief Shiva Sagar Yadav informed that testing for transmission to the central line began on the evening of Falgun 29 at 6:00 PM.

“Electricity was connected to the central line after five days of testing, which was successful in the presence of the Nepal Electricity Authority's technical team,” he said. “Commercial production will commence 15 days after the successful test.”

Project Chief Yadav stated that 13.86 megawatts of electricity is currently being produced during this dry season. The project has completed the construction of the dam, powerhouse, pipeline, transmission line, and internal testing of the powerhouse equipment before starting trial production.

Construction of this project began in BS 2080. The project site is located in a geographically remote and inaccessible area. A dam, desander (sedimentation pond), 2,900 meters of main pipeline, 300 meters of penstock pipeline, and a powerhouse at the tail end have been constructed at Sugurlathala. Engineer Sanjeev Neupane stated that a switchyard has been built on the powerhouse premises, which has two units (turbines).

This project is of the run-of-the-river type. A 132 kV transmission line, six kilometers long, has been constructed using fourteen towers from the tail end to Bandi. The project's electricity has been integrated into the central power system via the 220 kV Dana-Khurkot transmission line, in collaboration with the Chhimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale Hydropower Project, from Bandi to Thulokhola and from Chhimkhola to Chhimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat Hydropower Project, passing through Tilkenichaur. The transmission line distance from the tail end to Tilkenichaur is 23.5 kilometers.

Citizens, Machhapuchhre, and Agricultural Development Banks have invested 70 percent of the loan financing for the project, which has an estimated cost of Rs 5.14 billion. Ten percent of the investment will be from the promoter, and the remaining 20 percent will be raised from the general public through share issuance.

Transportation of equipment for the powerhouse, transmission line, and switchyard faced difficulties due to the upgrading of the road connecting Beni to the project site in Baisakh-Jestha and landslides in Malang during the monsoon.

Three hydropower projects have previously been constructed on the Rahughat and its tributaries. The 35.5 MW Chhimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale project, promoted by Tundi Power, and the 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project, as its cascade, are already operational.

The 21.3 MW Thulokhola Hydropower Project, built by Sanyukta Urja Limited on the Thulokhola tributary of Rahughat, began commercial production last Bhadra. The 40 MW Rahughat Hydropower Project, promoted by Raghuganga Hydropower, a subsidiary of Nepal Electricity Authority, is in the final stages of construction.