Monsoon disasters damage 16 hydropower projects

KATHMANDU: Landslides and floods induced by incessant rains in the past two days damaged various 16 hydropower projects.

According to the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN), floods inflicted damages on powerhouses, transmission lines, and other structures.

The details of the loss are being collected and it may go up.

The dam site and a pond to filter sand of the Upper Tamakoshi Project have been damaged. The Project is being developed by the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project Limited, an auxiliary company of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

Four people, including security personnel and two workers, have gone missing in the landslide that struck the Project structure on Saturday late morning, according to Company CEO Mohan Prasad Gautam.

The production from a 456-megawatt project has been disrupted, causing issues in the overall power supply system.

As the NEA said, it has been trying to fix issues in the power distribution due to the damage to power production centers. It said it has disrupted the power supplies of 980 megawatts per hour due to the disaster’s impacts.

According to IPPAN, the powerhouse of the 22-megawatt-capacity Bagamati Small Hydropower Project is completely submerged. This project is promoted by Mandu Hydropower.

Kahnikhola Hydropower, Mandu Hydropower and other hydropower projects have informed about the halt in their production to Nepal Stock Exchange as well.

Similarly, power production of the 22.1-megawatt-capacity Lower Hewakhola Hydropower Project promoted by Mountain Hydro Nepal has been closed due to flooding.

This project was also affected due to flooding last year. The production of 14.9 megawatts capacity Hewakhola Hydropower Project promoted by Panchthar Power has also been halted due to flooding.

The reconstruction of this project was about to be completed after it was damaged by flooding last year and it is again damaged.

Power production of the 86-megawatt-capacity Solu Dudhkoshi Hydropower Project promoted by Sahas Energy has also been halted as the dam of the project suffered damage.

The dam and other structures of the three-megawatt-capacity Maikhola Cascade Hydropower Project have been damaged. This project is promoted by the Sagarmatha Hydropower Company.

IPPAN said that the dam and transmission line of the 9.6-megawatt-capacity Maikhola Hydropower Project have suffered damage.

This project is also promoted by Sagarmatha Hydroelectricity Company.

Power production has also halted at Pheme Khola Hydropower Project as the Sutrikhola rivulet damaged the power production structures.

The access road and safety wall of the Suparnyadi hydropower project with a total capacity of 40 MW have been damaged due to flooding.

The Elep River Tatopani hydropower project has also been damaged by the flood, while the camp house and access road of the 216 megawatts Upper Trishuli-1, constructed with a Korean investment, have also been damaged.

Likewise, three containers loaded with construction materials have been washed away. The crusher of the Hewakhola hydropower Project has been buried and the access road has been damaged.

Similarly, due to the flood, the tower of the transmission line collapsed and the equipment brought to connect the power house were washed away.

A problem has arisen due to a landslide in the access road of Sabhakhola-B hydropower project. Likewise, the powerhouse has been buried and the dam has been damaged.

According to IPPAN, the access road of Sabhakhola-C Hydroelectric Project has been damaged and the road infrastructure of Landruk Modi Hydroelectric Project has also been washed away. The flood has swept away the construction equipment of the Super Trishuli Hydropower Project.

The project with a total capacity of 100 MW is under construction. Two excavator loaders and three tippers of the project have been swept away.

Similarly, the Bailey bridge has been washed away, the power house which was under construction has been buried, according to IPPAN. When the power generation from the affected project was stopped due to flood, the pressure was placed on the NEA’s system.

Because of this, the NEA had to import an additional 300 megawatts of electricity from India on Saturday alone.