Kathmandu. Floods and landslides triggered by incessant rain for four days have damaged 1,292 MW hydropower projects.

According to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Executive Director Dirgha Kumar Shrestha, 1,292 MW power projects have been affected by the floods.

According to him, floods and landslides have caused a big loss in various hydropower projects, transmission lines and distribution systems of the country.

According to the NEA, various electrical structures have been damaged due to incessant rains since September 22. According to the NEA, 230 MW of electricity generation of eight power projects is out of the system.

The damages to the Kushma-Dana transmission line have affected the capacity of 190 MW of seven hydropower projects.

Projects with a capacity of 262 MW have come into operation in the Seti-Madi corridor which were blocked due to floods, while 190 MW projects affected by the Marsyangdi corridor have come into operation. Preparations are underway to bring into operation the 144 MW Kaligandaki ‘A’ hydropower project, which was closed due to floods.

The flood has damaged the tailrace gate and duct of the Rahughat Hydropower Project. It is said that it will take about 10 days to bring the project into operation after cleaning the water in the turbine floor. Towers number 21 and 22 of the 220 KV Dana-Kusma transmission line under the Kaligandaki corridor have been damaged.

Power supply has been affected in Myagdi, Baglung, Jhaputar Substation of Tanahun, Manang, Mustang, Rukum East, Pyuthan and Rolpa due to the rain. Out of which, service has been resumed in Myagdi, Baglung, Tanahun and Rukum East. The NEA plans to restore power supply in Mustang, Pyuthan and Rolpa by this afternoon and in Manang by tomorrow.

According to NEA, 430 MW of electricity has been out of power supply due to flooding in Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on August 26, which damaged 220 KV hub of Upper Trishuli-3 ‘B’ and damaged various hydropower projects.

According to preliminary estimates, NEA and its subsidiaries have suffered losses of around Rs 74 billion in this area.

The NEA also plans to depend on imports for the demand-supply balance of electricity in the upcoming dry season. According to the NEA, 1,218 MW of electricity will be available from domestic generation during the dry season.

A total of 1,154 MW of electricity will be imported from Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur, 54 MW from Tanakpur-Mahendranagar, 350 MW from various points in Bihar and 150 MW from RTC to meet the demand. The total power availability will be more than 2,372 MW during the dry season, according to NEA.