Kathmandu. A total of 32 hydropower projects have been affected due to heavy rainfall in 10 districts of three provinces.
As per the preliminary data compiled by the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), 17 hydropower projects with a capacity of 180 MW in operation and 15 hydropower projects with a capacity of 338 MW under construction have been affected by the floods. According to IPPAN Chairperson Ganesh Karki, a big loss of lives has been incurred in the past years due to lack of early warning about floods and lack of confidence in the information received.
According to Karki, the loss of physical damage to hydropower projects this time has been very small compared to heavy rainfall due to timely preparations.
15 out of 17 projects in operation {{TAG_OPEN_strong_27 TAG_CLOSE_strong_27}}
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Hydropower projects in Ilam district of Koshi Province have also been affected the most by floods and landslides. The production of 15 hydropower projects that came into operation in Ilam alone has been halted. These include Mai Khola (4.5 MW), Mai Khola Cascade (8 MW), Mai Khola (Sanima Mai) (22 MW), Mai Cascade (7 MW), Super Mai Cascade (7.8 MW), Supermai A (9.6 MW), Supermai A Cascade (3 MW), Jogmai Khola (7.6 MW), Jogmai Cascade (5.2 MW), Lower Jogmai (6.2 MW), Maibeni (9.5 MW), Upper Mai (9.9 MW), Mai C Cascade (5.1 MW), Puwa 2 (4.96 MW) and Upper Puwa-1 (3 MW). There are.
Among the remaining two hydropower projects, the 14.9 MW Hewakhola Hydropower Project in Panchthar of Koshi Province and the 52.4 MW Likhu 4 Hydropower Project in Bagmati Province have been affected. Currently, all the projects except Likhu have stopped production. The production of Likhu 4 was stopped for a little more than an hour.
Damage to the under-construction project on the access road
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Most of the damage has been seen in the under-construction hydropower projects. According to Mohan Kumar Dangi, proprietor of Lalupate Hydropower, the 12-kilometer access road constructed by the 49.95 MW Dana Khola Hydropower Project in Manang has been landslided. Dangi said that the rain has swept away the roads in many places as the access road has not been set up as the construction of the project started from this year.
Among the under-construction hydropower projects, the 10 MW Siddhi Khola Hydropower Project of Ilam is all set to start commercial production within 10 days.
Construction materials and construction materials of 21.5 MW Sabhakhola ‘B’ and 9.9 MW Hewakhola hydropower projects in Panchthar have been washed away.
The flood has also swept away the access road of 4 hydropower projects in Sindhupalchowk. The floods have swept away the access roads of 36.51 MW Brahmayani, 15.15 MW Upper Bramhayani, 40 MW Balefi and 22.5 MW Lower Balefi hydropower projects.
The 20 MW Langtang Khola project in Rasuwa, the 15.5 MW Irkhuwa Khola ‘B’ project in Bhojpur, the 14.5 MW Upper Irkhuwa, the 22.5 MW Upper Thulo Khola in Myagdi, the 6.82 MW Hidi Khola project in Lamjung, the 48.8 MW Khimti-2 project in Ramechhap and the 4.5 MW Gasali Khola hydropower project in Dhading have been deferred due to the damage to the access road of the hydropower project.
According to IPPAN, it will take some more time to get the details of the damages due to the disruption of access roads to the ongoing and under-construction projects.
