The 27MW Dordi Khola hydroelectric project will start producing electricity by the end of April – myRepublica

KATHMANDU, March 9: An additional 27 megawatts of hydropower will be added to the national grid by the end of April this year, with the Dordi Khola Hydropower Project (DKHP) nearing the final stage of construction completion.

Munna Shakya, project manager of DKHP, said most of the construction work has already been completed and they are currently working on maintaining the infrastructure damaged by the floods of the last rainy season. “We have already completed the production test and will be producing power commercially by the third week of April,” Shakya said.

DKHP, a run-of-river hydropower project, is being developed by Himalayan Power Partner Ltd, a subsidiary of IME Group and NRN Investment Ltd. The project is the first of its kind, promoted by non-resident Nepalese.

The project was expected to be completed by August 31, 2018. However, it was delayed due to multiple causes including India’s economic blockade in 2015 and flood damage in different periods. Lately, the construction deadline for the project was extended to March 2021, a date that could not be met due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DKHP is being constructed on the Dordi River of Lamjung District. Initially, the project was to be built for Rs 4.23 billion. However, the cost is expected to rise to Rs 4.64 billion due to delay in the construction of the project.