Arun-3 Hydropower project's construction is 70 percent complete

Kathmandu; The construction of the 900 MW Arun-3 Hydropower Project, located in Sankhuwasabha District, is 70 percent complete. According to project officials, the dam, tunnel, and powerhouse have each achieved 70 percent progress. The dam construction is underway situated in Makalu Rural Municipality-5, Fyaksinda Dobhan.

Arun Dhiman, The Chief Executive Officer of the Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, claimed that a total of 2,548,000 cubic meters of excavation has been carried out so far for the construction of the dam, out of the total requirement of 2,560,000 cubic meters. Excavation work has already begun from the dam site to the powerhouse, covering a distance of 11 km. Additionally, construction of the powerhouse is currently underway in Chichila Rural Municipality-3 Pukhuwa Dobhan.

It has been indicated that the entire construction will be completed in approximately two years, if there are no obstacles in the project. After the completion of the project, locals will only receive shares through the Project Development Agreement (PDA). It is mentioned in the PDA that within a year of starting commercial operation, locals will be provided shares. According to the PDA, locals will receive shares worth 1.60 billion NPR from the project.

The project, estimated to cost around 104 billion NPR, is expected to provide Nepal with 21.9 percent free electricity (197.1 MW) across various headings, while generating an economic benefit of 348 billion NPR. Following electricity production, directly affected families are set to receive up to 30 units of free electricity per month. It is noted in the PDA that 25 years after the completion of construction, the project will be handed over to the Government of Nepal. Currently, around 4,000 Nepali and Indian workers are employed in the project.

In Sankhuwasabha, on the Arun River, which is considered the center of hydropower production, there are currently four major hydropower projects under construction. Upon completion of the Upper Arun, Middle Arun, Arun-3, and Lower Arun projects, a total of 3084 MW of electricity will be generated.

SJVN is preparing for the bidding process to construct the Lower Arun 669 MW in the same modality of the Arun-3. From these two projects, Nepal is set to receive 21.9 percent of free electricity. Meanwhile, the responsibility for the construction of the Upper Arun, with a capacity of 1,061 MW, has been undertaken by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

For the project, 2,500 ropanis of land have been acquired through the bidding process. Kimathanka Arun, with a capacity of 454 MW, is located near a China border point and requires the acquisition of 290 ropanis of land for that purpose.