The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have shown interest in the Lower Seti hydropower project to be built in Tanahun. Currently, Tanahun hydropower project with a capacity of 140 megawatts is being constructed by Tanahun Hydro, and both the supporting organizations are positive to invest in the project. Kiran Kumar Shrestha, managing director of Tanahun Hydropower Limited, informed that the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is currently being done for the construction of Lower Seti Hydropower with a capacity of 126 MW.

According to Shrestha, within two years, the Lower Seti hydropower project will go into the construction stage. The cost of the project is estimated at Rs 25 billion. According to Shrestha, the Lower Seti Hydroelectric Project is going to be constructed in the lower coastal area to use the regulated flow of the Seti River and the additional flow of the Madi River obtained from the 140 meter high concrete dam of the Tanahun Hydroelectric Project. According to project chief Shyamji Bhandari, preparations are being made to call for bids in 2081. A detailed study for the construction of the Lower Seti hydropower project has been completed. The project appointed an expert group and proceeded with the work.

A three-member international expert group appointed to review the detailed design report submitted by the consultant. The design review report has been submitted on July 7, 2021. According to the design of the project submitted by the expert group, some additional work has been prepared. “As suggested by the expert group, some work is being carried forward, the environmental preliminary assessment work has also been completed,” said Bhandari. In the next fiscal year, some infrastructure construction will start in that area. Bhandari said that the construction of buildings, roads and bridges will be started in the next financial year.

The company has already received the survey permission for the project’s electricity production. In addition, for the purchase of consulting services for preparing the detailed engineering design and tender documents of the project with the assistance of about three.5 million US dollars received from the donor agency ADB, VAPCOS India – Nippon Co., Ltd. The purchase agreement was signed on 12 April 2019. Under the project, a 32-meter high dam will be constructed on Seti River near Saranghat in Bandipur Rural Municipality-6 and Devghat Rural Municipality-3. It is planned to divert the water flow through Devghat Rural Municipality-3 and 4 through a 6.8 km long tunnel to generate Khasali electricity in a semi-underground power plant to be built on the right bank of the Kaligandaki River at Devghat, which is located in the lower coastal area about 500 meters from the confluence of the Seti River.

Some parts of Bandipur Rural Municipality-6, Byas Municipality-13 and 14, Devghat Rural Municipality-2, 3 and 4, Rishing Rural Municipality-1 and 3, Ambukhaireni Rural Municipality-5 and 6, Bharatpur Metropolitan Municipality-29 will be affected by the project. Electricity will be generated by constructing a semi-underground power house in Devghat Rural Municipality-4 Gaighat. The generated electricity will be integrated into the national power system in the 220 kV Damauli-New Bharatpur transmission line built by the Tanahun Hydropower Project. For this, about two kilometers of transmission line should be constructed.

The semi-reservoir Lower Seti Project’s approximately 12 km long reservoir will extend from the upper coastal area i.e. from the dam site to Sundegaon. The project will produce 520 million units of electricity annually. The estimated cost of the project is Rs. 25 billion.

Source: Nepal Purbadhar