The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has confirmed extensive damage to multiple hydropower projects following a devastating flood in the Bhotekoshi River early Tuesday morning, resulting in a major disruption to the national power supply.
According to NEA, the headworks of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project have been completely destroyed, while floodwaters entered the tailrace channel of the Chilime Hydropower Project. In addition, two gates at the dam site of the Trishuli-3A project were also reported damaged.
The disaster didn’t stop there. At the Trishuli-3B hub substation, the river changed its course and flooded the area, severely impacting 132 kV transmission infrastructure and other essential structures.
As a result, the NEA reported that around 250 megawatts of electricity has been disconnected from the national grid. Affected projects include Rasuwagadhi, Trishuli-3A, Devighat, Trishuli, and the privately operated Upper Mailung Tadi project, all located along the Trishuli power corridor.
In response, NEA Managing Director Hitendra Dev Shakya, along with Acting Deputy Executive Director of the Transmission Directorate Rajan Dhakal and a high-level technical team, conducted an on-site inspection of the affected infrastructure on July 8.
The NEA is currently assessing the full extent of the damage and is working to restore power connectivity as quickly and safely as possible.
