Hydropower projects largely spared by latest floods, landslides

The plan of Kalanga Gad Hydroelectric Project in Bajhang district to evacuate electricity to the national grid in the next two months has faced a setback after a flood triggered by incessant rains early this week caused some infrastructural damage to the 15.33MW project.

The project, promoted by a group of investors including State Minister for Prime Minister’s Office Umesh Shrestha, was under the testing and commissioning phase after completion of the construction work.

“The Flood caused by incessant rains in the Kalanga river on October 19 swept away some box culverts and damaged the dam,” said Pushpa Chitrakar, chief executive officer of Kalanga Hydro Pvt Ltd, the project developer. “Our initial estimate is that the flood damaged the infrastructure worth over Rs100 million.”

He said their plan for power evacuation has been pushed back.

“We reckon it would take at least three months for the project to arrive at the stage before the flood,” Chitrakar said.

According to him, they have yet to receive the details about the damage inflicted by floods to the other two projects promoted by the group—the 38.46 MW Upper Kalanga and 10.7MW Upper Sani Gad, both in Bajhang district.

Before the floods, the company said 92 percent of the work in the Upper Kalanga Project had been completed while the Upper Sani Gad Project had achieved 80 percent progress.

“The roads leading to the two project sites have been damaged, so we don’t know the details yet,” Chitrakar said.

Floods and landslides caused by unseasonal rainfall earlier this week caused a massive loss of human lives, crops and other properties.

According to the Independent Power Producers’ Association (IPPAN), a grouping of private sector power developers, it has not received any report about significant damage caused by recent floods and landslides to power projects, except in one developed by Kalanga Hydro Pvt Ltd.

“We have inquired with the power developers, but nobody has so far reported power projects being swept away by the floods,” said Ganesh Karki, vice-president of the IPPAN.

He said the 3MW Midim Khola Hydropower Project in Lamjung had stopped producing power for some hours while some hydropower projects in Mai Khola Ilam were also partially affected.

Many hydropower projects had suffered huge damage as a result of floods and landslides earlier this monsoon.

“Around 20 hydropower projects, both small and big, were badly damaged by the flood and landslides caused by monsoon rains and the estimated damages are worth around Rs10 billion,” said Karki.

All four hydropower projects in Dordi Khola in Lamjung district had suffered major damage, with the 54 MW Super Dordi Hydropower Project suffering the biggest loss of around Rs1 billion. Monsoon floods had also damaged the 50MW Upper Marsyagdi A Hydropower Project in the district.

A couple of hydropower projects in Ilam and Sankhuwashbha districts and some in the Modi Khola in western Nepal were also damaged by this year’s monsoon floods.

According to Nepal Electricity Authority, it has not received any reports on major damage caused to big hydropower projects by the latest flooding and landslide incidents.

However, there has been damage to the transmission and distribution lines, according to the authority.

“Flooding incidents affected the Attariya-Dadeldhura Transmission line causing disturbance in electricity supply for two and half days,” said Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai, spokesperson of the authority. “Likewise, flooding in the control room of electricity transmission resulted in power cuts in the Duhabi grid for around 40 hours.”

Distribution lines were also damaged in several locations, but their details are awaited.

The state power utility has not been receiving electricity from some of the power projects damaged by monsoon floods.

Bhattarai said the power evacuation has been halted from the 12 MW Namarjun Madi Hydropower Project, the 13 MW Sikles Hydropower Project and a 10 MW project in Modi Khola in western Nepal, while only one of the two turbines of the 50 MW Upper Marsyngdi A Hydropower Project started generating electricity only recently.

“Power evaluation of 70-80 MW has been halted due to the damage caused by the floods in the monsoon,” said Bhattarai.

The Kathmandu Post