Kathmandu— Construction of the Rahughat hydropower project in Myagdi, Nepal, has been completed after facing numerous delays, with power generation tests now underway. The 40-MW facility is owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and Raghuganga Hydropower, a subsidiary of the Nepal Government. Testing of key infrastructure including the dam, tunnel, and switchyard have been successful, and officials anticipate trial power generation within the next week to ten days.

Project Construction and Initial Timeline

The Rahughat hydropower project was initially contracted to Indian civil contractor Jaiprakash Associates (JP) in November 2017 with a price tag of Rs 6 billion and a 45-month completion target. The original timeline faced extensions, first in February 2022, then again in June 2024, and subsequently in July 2025, aiming for completion by November 27, 2025. Despite these setbacks, the project is now nearing its goals.

Infrastructure Testing Completed

Testing of critical components has been successfully completed, including the dam located at the foot of Raghuganga-4 and Dagnam, a six kilometer long tunnel, two water retention ponds, and the powerhouse construction in Tilkenichaur. The switchyard, essential for connecting generated electricity to the central transmission line, became operational on June 8th.

Challenges Faced During Construction

Harish Agrawal, project manager from JP, cited a series of challenges that contributed to the delays. These included natural disasters such as floods and landslides, the COVID-19 pandemic, and difficulties in sourcing river-based construction materials. Raghuganga Hydropower Limited (RGHPL) was established in March 2017 with the specific objective of generating 40 MW of electricity in Myagdi District.

Power Generation Preparations

Ganesh KC, Managing Director of Raghuganga Hydropower, confirmed that preparations for power generation are underway. “The testing of the dam, descender, tunnel, and switchyard has been successful,” he said. Testing of a second 20 MW unit began on Sunday.

With infrastructure testing complete and ongoing preparations for trial power generation, the Rahughat hydropower project is poised to contribute to Nepal’s energy capacity.

(With inputs from RN)

Originally published on abcnews.com.np.