Dordi Khola HEP (Background)
Dordi Khola Hydropower Project is proposed on the Dordi Khola as a run of the river type project in Chiti, Besisahar Municipality – 11 of Lamjung District. The company started the construction of the project in 2015 and completed in 2022. The delay in the completion of the project was basically because of the impact of 2015 devastating earthquake, India-Nepal border blockade, seasonal floods, encounter of very poor rock-mass condition during tunnel excavation and unpreparedness of Transmission Line to be constructed by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The headworks structures of the project lie at an elevation of 758m asl on Dordi Khola in Chiti, Nauther and Bansar village junction and the surface powerhouse is situated on the left bank of Marshyangdi River at an elevation of 551masl and about 500 m upstream from the confluence of Dordi Khola and Marshyangdi River. The installed capacity of the project is 27 MW using the gross head of 212 m and the design discharge of 15.28 m3/s with three 9 MW horizontal shaft Francis turbines and generating units. The annual average contract energy is 142 GWh, out of which dry season energy is 21 GWh and the wet season energy is 121 GWh. The generated power is being evacuated to the national grid through the Middle Marshyangdi HEP substation under the contingency plan. The contingency plan has been in effective situation since the commissioning of the project due to unavailability of NEA’s Transmission Line. The connecting point of Dordi Khola HEP (27 MW) as per the connection agreement is at Udipur substation hub which is still not completed. The Project’s required transmission line about 3.0 km up to the Udipur substation hub has been erected by the company and present generated energy is being evacuated through this line. Because of the contingency plan the project is generating the electrical energy according to the dispatch instruction of Load Dispatch Centre (LDC), NEA. The company is giving its best effort to end up the contingency plan and sell the generated energy in its full capacity as mentioned in the Power Purchase Agreement document. The project was completed with the total cost of about NPR 5288 million Including IDC. The project was financed by a consortium of banks and financial institutions led by Prime Commercial Bank Ltd., Kamalpokhari, Kathmandu with the debt equity ratio of 75:25.
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The major project development milestones are as mentioned below:
Survey License => 26th May 2005 |
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Project Area The project is located at Chiti of Besisahar Municipality of Lamjung District, Gandaki Province. The intake site is located at Chiti, Bansar, Nauther about 10 km from the powerhouse site at Ramchowk Besi, Chiti. The powerhouse area is located about 500 m upstream of the confluence of Dordi Khola and Marshyangdi River. The Project area is located within the following geographical locations; however, the project boundary has been marked in the issued Generation License is up to the level 774.0 m amsl upstream of the diversion weir. The project area is accessible through metaled road about 170 km from Kathmandu to the Powerhouse site. Headworks area is located about 10 km upstream from the powerhouse area through Udipur – Kirtipur Road. |
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Current Project Status
The project was commissioned in September 2022 and is in commercial operation since 30th September 2022. The inhouse technical team is operating the plant under the contingency plan according to which the plant is generating the energy as per the dispatch instruction of the Load Dispatch Centre (LDC), NEA. The company has tried its best to end up the contingency plan and from 14th May 2024 (Jeth 1, 2081 BS) the plant was allowed to generate the energy as per the PPA clause. During dry season the plant is generating excess energy for two months continuously whereas during wet season the generation has reduced significantly because of LDC’s dispatch instruction.
The plant is running smoothly without problem since the commercial operation date. The plant has not run in its full capacity continuously due to the contingency plan and from the month Jeth of 2081 BS, the plant will be run in its full capacity continuously as per the PPA agreement.