Myagdi. Myagdi: Construction of a hydropower project has begun to generate electricity from the Kaligandaki River flowing through Annapurna Rural Municipality in Myagdi. This is the first project to be constructed on the Kaligandaki River.

Hydro Support Company has started construction of 66.3 MW Central Kaligandaki Hydropower Project. Civil contractor Rasuwa-Multi JV has started the construction of a 4,319-metre-long tunnel using explosives at Naghanga of Annapurna Rural Municipality-2 since last week, said Chandra Dhakal, operator of Hydro Support.

The distance of the audit is 459 meters. Preparations have been made to dig the tunnel from the dam within the month of July and from the outlet from winter. The target is to generate electricity by pumping water from a 12-meter-high and 35-meter-long dam at Sukebagar of Annapurna Rural Municipality-3 to the underground power house to be constructed at Naunibagar of Annapurna-2 from a height of 151 meters.

The power house, switchboard, control room of this project of run-of-the-river nature is underground. Chief Executive Officer of Rasuwa-Multi JV, Phanindra Raj Pandey, said that the state-of-the-art boomer robotic shotkit and other equipment have been brought for the construction of the tunnel.

The electricity from Madhya Kaligandaki will be connected to the central system through a 220 kV substation at Dana, seven kilometers above Naunibagar. The target is to complete the project within the next three years, said Dhakal. Six commercial banks, led by Nabil Bank, will raise 75 per cent, 25 per cent promoters and shares through investors in the project estimated to cost Rs 12.93 billion.

According to the agreement signed with The Nepal Electricity Authority(NEA), the winter power purchase rate has been fixed at Rs 8.40 and the rainy season at Rs 4.80. The project is expected to generate rs 1.09 billion from 130 GW in winter and Rs 1.33 billion from 277 GW in monsoon.

Three hydropower projects with a capacity of more than 300 MW in the Kaligandaki river basin, including central Kaligandaki, have taken permission for construction. Chairman of Annapurna Rural Municipality, Bharat Kumar Pun, said that preparations have been made for the construction of 65 MW Upper Kaligandaki and 180 MW Kaligandaki Gorge.