Two hydropower projects on the Rahughat River and its tributaries have started commercial production, contributing a combined 58.8 megawatts of electricity to Nepal’s national grid.
The 37.5 MW Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale Hydropower Project, developed by Tundi Power Company, and the 21.3 MW Thulokhola Hydropower Project of Samyukta Urja Limited are now operational in Raghuganga Rural Municipality, Myagdi. In the same region, three more projects with a total capacity of 111 MW are nearing completion.
According to Prakash Timilsina, an engineer at Tundi Power, the electricity has been temporarily linked to the national grid to avoid wastage, as the Dadakhet-Rahughat transmission line remains under construction. A switchyard in Tilkenichowar, Raghuganga-3, has also been temporarily connected to the system.
An eight-kilometre section of the 132 kV transmission line from Bandi to the Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale plant has already been completed in partnership with the Thulokhola and 22.5 MW Upper Thulokhola projects. In addition, a 220 kV line from Chimkhola to Tilkeni has been built jointly by several project developers.
The two projects, financed by a consortium led by Nepal Bank Limited with Laxmi Sunrise Bank, Rastriya Banijya Bank, and Siddhartha Bank, were completed at an estimated cost of Rs 3.60 billion.
The Thulokhola project generates power by channeling water through a 3.3 km tunnel and a 634-meter penstock, while the Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale project uses a 5.3 km tunnel and a 950-meter penstock to supply its powerhouse.
Meanwhile, the 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project, developed by Tundi Power, is ready for test production. Two other schemes — the 40 MW Rahughat and 22.5 MW Upper Thulokhola projects promoted by Raghuganga Hydro, a subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority — are also nearing completion.
