Tanahu Hydropower Project, which is going to be developed under the assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has distributed Rs 211 million as compensation to the land owners of reservoir site.

The 140-megawatt storage project had distributed Rs 156.8 million to the landowners of the affected area immediately after the land compensation distribution was started in mid-February this year. The government has allocated a total of Rs 420 million for land compensation purposes of the project in this fiscal.

The project has to acquire 2,000 ropanis of land at Bhimad, Majhkot, Rishing Ranipokhari, Sabhung, Bhagawatipur, Kotdurbar, Jamune and Chhang of Tanahun district for the reservoir and the total land compensation is expected to hover around Rs 600 million. The upper bed of the dam will spread over 25 kilometres. Issuing a statement, the project has said that it will be able to mobilise entire allocated fund in this fiscal.

This project will build a dam with a height of 140 metres in Byas Municipality of Tanahun district. The 1,203-metre long tunnel will pass along the right bank of the Seti River for electricity generation from the underground powerhouse at Kunaute. The powerhouse will have two turbines with capacity of 70 megawatts each.

After generating the electricity, the water will again be diverted to Seti River through a 190-metre tunnel.

The project has expected to hire construction contractor by mid-October this year and is scheduled to be completed by December 2022. To evacuate power to the central grid, construction works of 37-km transmission line from the powerhouse site to Bharatpur substation is underway. The project can be operated for six hours in full capacity in the winter season, which will produce 58.77 billion units of electricity per annum in first 10 years of operation and 48.99 billion units per annum after that.