Kathmandu: An additional 27 megawatt of hydroelectric power will be added to the national grid by April-end this year with the Dordi Khola Hydropower Project (DKHP) reaching almost the final stage of completion of its construction.

Munna Shakya, project chief of DKHP, said most of the construction work has already been completed and they are now working on the maintenance of the infrastructure damaged by the floods during the last rainy season. “We have already conducted the test production and will be commercially producing electricity by the third week of April,” Shakya said.

DKHP, a run-of-river type hydroelectric project, is being developed by Himalayan Power Partner Ltd, a subsidiary of IME Group and NRN Investment Ltd. The project is the first in its type, which is being promoted by Non-resident Nepalis.

The project was expected to be completed by August 31, 2018. However, it has been delayed owing to multiple causes including India’s economic blockade in 2015 and damages caused by floods in different time periods. Of late, the deadline for project construction was deferred to March 2021, which could not be met due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

DKHP is being built on the Dordi River of Lamjung district. Initially, the project was expected to be constructed for Rs 4.23 billion. However, the cost is projected to hit Rs 4.64 billion due to delay in the project construction.