Electro-mechanical Contract Awarded to BFL Hydro India for 22 MW Rolwaling Khola

Kathmandu; Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited (UTHPL) has entrusted B. Fouress Private Limited, India(BFL Hydro) with the import and installation of electro-mechanical (EM) equipments for the 22 MW Rolwaling Khola Hydropower Project. UTHPL is a subsidiary company of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), which is also responsible for the construction and operation of Nepal's largest 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project.

High Himalaya Hydro Construction Pvt. Ltd. (3HC) has been awarded an EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract by UTHPL for the construction of Rolwaling Khola. BFL will be supplying the EM work on behalf of 3HC.

An agreement has been reached between 3HC and BFL on last Friday (14th June, 2024) regarding the import and installation of EM equipment. The Contract Agreement was signed by Kiran Malla, Chairman of 3HC and Govind Naik, CEO of BFL. As per agreement, BFL will design, manufacture, import, and install all EM equipment for the project. Additionally, technical support will also be provided for the powerhous operations of the electro-mechanical equipment.

During the contract signing ceremony, Malla expressed confidence that BFL will complete the import and installation of EM equipment for the project within the stipulated timeframe. "We are prepared to provide necessary support to them," he said, "the collaboration between NEA's subsidiary company and BFL is a matter of pride for us."

BFL's CEO Naik expressed his commitment to complete all EM work within the timeline with a dedication to professional integrity. He highlighted the company's enhanced reputation through its collaboration with NEA's subsidiary for construction. "In the coming days, we hope and expect to undertake similar projects in Nepal," he remarked, "we are committed to working towards development of power infrastructure of  Nepal."

same as, BFL's Nepal Chief, Rajib Adhikari on the momentous occasion, informed that BFL has already successfully commissioned 14 EM Projects on Water to Wire basis which are already connected to Nepal National grid and another 12 projects are under implementation in various parts of the country." Rolwaling Khola is our 27th Project in Nepal and we are extremely happy to secure it", he added.

Approximately a year ago, Upper Tamakoshi awarded an EPC contract worth approximately 6 billion NPR to 3HC. This arrangement marks a pioneering initiative where a domestic construction company has been entrusted with an EPC contract under NEA's hydropower project.

On that occatation, Sohaya Sameer Shetty, Owner and Managing director of BFL, expressed BFL’s commitment towards Nepal hydro market and establishing a strong business relations with all the major stake holders.

According to 3HC, the work on the hydro-mechanical (HM) part is currently in the design phase, and Malla informed that a contract agreement will be made after the design is approved. As per 3HC, the main tunnel of the project has been excavated up to 300 meters. Work is also progressing on the powerhouse site. Once electricity production begins from Rolwaling, water discharged from the 'Tail race' will be diverted to the reservoir of the Upper Tamakoshi. After that, there will also be an increase in energy production from Tamakoshi.

The annual electricity generation from the project is 118 GWh (11 crore 80 lakh units). A 33 kV, 8.4 km long transmission line will be constructed from Bigu Municipality-1, Gonggar (Dolakha District), to connect it to the 220/33 kV substation of Upper Tamakoshi swtichtard. The target for starting electricity generation from the project is the 1st of Mangsir, 2084 BS (November 16, 2027 AD). All the studies and design work for the project have been conducted by NEA's subsidiary, NEA Engineering Company.

About the BFL Hydro, India

Established in 1972, BFL Hydro, with it's manufacturing facility for turbines and valves in Bangalore, India, has been involved in hundreds of hydropower projects across Asia, America, and Europe. Particularly noted for its expertise in designing, constructing, and producing equipment for small and medium-sized hydro projects, the company has executed 225 plus projects in India totalling 1350 MW, 70 plus projects in Vietnam totalling 1150 MW, 27 projects in Nepal totalling 250 MW, 45 plus projects in Europe & Africa totalling 150 MW, 16 projects in South America totalling 45 MW with total reference of 383 plus projects and close to 3000 MW.

Furthermore, the company disclosed that it has presently a very healthy order booking pipeline with  involvement in projects equivalent to around 2 billion US dollars equivalent. Claiming leadership in equipment production for small and medium-sized projects globally, BFL serves over 300 customers and operates more than 700 turbines in twenty-six countries.