The 22-megawatt (MW) Seti Khola Hydropower Project has officially begun trial electricity generation in Pokhara Metropolitan City–33, Kaski, marking another addition to Nepal’s expanding hydropower capacity.
Developed by Seti Khola Hydropower Limited, the run-of-river project commenced construction in November 2021 and has now started supplying electricity to the national transmission grid on a trial basis following technical inspection and testing by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
According to Deepak Baral, Director of Seti Khola Hydropower Limited, the project will remain under a 15-day trial operation before entering full commercial production. During the testing period, electricity generated by the plant will continue to be fed into the national grid while engineers monitor the performance and reliability of key equipment.
The project was originally scheduled to begin power generation in November last year, but its completion was delayed due to lengthy approval procedures related to the use of forest land for constructing the transmission line. Three of the project’s five transmission towers are located within forest areas, and obtaining the necessary environmental clearances took longer than anticipated.
The hydropower scheme features a dam at Tiklang, Pokhara–33, from where water is diverted through a 3,106-meter headrace tunnel to a powerhouse located at Tallopunditar. The powerhouse houses two turbines, each with an installed capacity of 11 MW, bringing the project’s total generation capacity to 22 MW.
Built with an investment of approximately Rs 5.05 billion, the company plans to launch an Initial Public Offering (IPO) in the next fiscal year after the project enters commercial operation, allowing the general public to invest in the hydropower venture.
The Seti River basin is emerging as an important hydropower corridor in western Nepal. The 25 MW Seti River Hydropower Project, developed by Vision Lumbini Energy Company, has already been in commercial operation since last year. In addition, around half a dozen hydropower projects are currently in the planning stage, while several others are under construction along the river.
With the commissioning of the Seti Khola project, Nepal continues to strengthen its renewable energy capacity, supporting domestic electricity demand while expanding opportunities for power exports and private sector investment in the hydropower sector.
