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MYAGDI, June 24: The 37.5-megawatt Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat Hydropower Project, located in Raghuganga Rural Municipality of Myagdi district, has commenced test production after completing trials of its major physical structures, including the dam, desander, and tunnel.
Developed by Tudi Power Company Ltd., the project began generating electricity on a trial basis and will be connected to the national transmission grid upon successful completion, said Indra Dhakal, a representative of the company. The trial phase is expected to be completed within 15 days.
Theulekhola Hydropower Project begins test production
The dam has been built at Bandi in Ward 8 of the rural municipality, along with a 110-meter-long, 8-meter-high, and 30-meter-wide desanding pond. Water is channeled through a 5.3-kilometre tunnel and dropped into the power station located in Chimkhola using a 950-meter-long penstock pipe, according to residential engineer Prakash Timilsina.
The vertical drop from the outlet of the tunnel to the powerhouse is 360 meters. Construction began in Mangsir 2077 BS, with civil contractors Ramechhap Sherpa and South Asian Infrastructure Pvt. Ltd. overseeing the project. Tunnels were excavated from four different points. The hydromechanical and electromechanical works were undertaken by Machhapuchhre and BMEW Nepal, and Everest Hydro Electro Mechanical, respectively.
A 220 kV transmission line has been built to connect the generated power to the substation located in Tilkenichaur of Raghu Ganga-3, which is part of the Rahughat Hydropower Complex. This 14-kilometer line includes 49 transmission towers. The electricity from the project will be integrated into the Dana-Kushma transmission line through a loop-in loop-out (LILO) system.
Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat is the first hydropower project completed within the Rahughat River basin. The same developer, Tudi Power, is also constructing the 48.5 MW Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project, which is in its final phase. Other projects in the basin, such as the 40 MW Rahughat, 21.3 MW Thulokhola, and 22.3 MW Upper Thulokhola hydropower projects, are also nearing completion.
