kailash Lama
Kathmandu: Work of the expansion joint of the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project has begun.Work on the expansion joint has started in the 100-metre horizontal section between the 310-metre upper and 373-metre lower vertical tunnels, which are considered complex components of the project.
Spokesperson of the Upper Tamakoshi Project Dr. Ganesh Neupane informed that the work of connecting two penstock pipes of 2.5 metres has started in the expansion joint.The work of the project was affected as the expansion joint pipe could not be fixed as per the initial design.
The design was revised after the Indian contractor of Lot-2, Texmaco Railway Engineering, failed to make and send the expansion joint pipe as per the original design. Spokesperson Neupane said that the connection work has started as soon as the new pipe was brought to India.
"We expect the modified pipe connection to be completed in two weeks," he said.Currently, the audit plug work of the project under Lot-2, upper penstock audit plug work, surge tunnel audit plug work, bending of upper penstock shaft and lower horizontal penstock are still pending and work is being done in the area.
Construction of dam, intake, main tunnel, surge shaft, penstock shafts, civil and hydro-mechanical works of the underground power house has been completed.All the equipment including turbines, generators, transformers have been connected to the underground power house.
The construction work of 47 km long transmission line from Gongar to Devitar of Ramechhap has been completed and the work of installing equipment to the substation of 220/132 kV capacity under construction in Devitar has reached the final stage.
Descending basin testing begins The 100-metre-long and 22-metre-high dam constructed in Lama Bagar has started collecting water from Sunday.Water is being collected in the descending basin for testing sand dredging.
The test will last for a week, said spokesperson Dr. Neupane.He said that the work of sending water to the tunnel will start after the completion of all the ongoing works including expansion joint pipe connection.The project aims to start generating 76 MW of electricity by operating one of the six units of the project by mid-May this year.
This project of 822 metres head and daily picking run of the river nature can be operated at full capacity for four and a half hours even in the driest weather.
The Rising Nepal
