Electricity from Upper Rahughat is being generated using the water released from the Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat powerhouse and the water from Bagarkhola in Chimkhola.

The test production of the 48.5-megawatt capacity ‘Upper’ Rahughat Hydropower Project, constructed on the Rahughat River flowing through Raghuganga Rural Municipality, has begun.

After the completion of the dam, tunnel, powerhouse, transmission line, switchyard construction, equipment installation, and internal testing, the project promoted by Tundi Power has commenced test production from today.

The project’s residential engineer, Prakash Timilsina, informed that the testing was initiated in the presence of a technical team from the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Electricity generation was started after the successful internal testing of the constructed physical structures and installed equipment,” he said, “Since no issues were observed during the testing, we are preparing to begin commercial production after 15 days.

The project’s dam is located at Chimkhola in Raghuganga Rural Municipality-7, and the powerhouse is situated at Fedhi of Ward No. 4, Dagnam. The tunnel is 4,900 meters long. A 680-meter-long penstock pipeline has been installed from the outlet to the powerhouse.

Everest Hydro is the electromechanical contractor of the Upper Rahughat Project, while Machhapuchhre Metal and Machinery is the hydromechanical contractor. The civil contractor of the project, whose construction began in 2020, is Ramechhap Sherpa Construction. The tunnel was built by South Asian Infrastructure.

The 37.5-megawatt Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale Hydropower Project, built by Tundi Power, had started commercial production from last Asar. Similarly, the 21.3-megawatt Thulokhola Hydropower Project, constructed by United Energy Limited, began commercial production from this Bhadra.

Electricity has been generated from Upper Rahughat using the water released from the powerhouse of the Chimkhola-Mangale-Rahughat project and the water of Bagarkhola in Chimkhola.

The estimated cost of both projects is 1.3 billion rupees. The electricity generated from these projects is temporarily connected to the national grid through the switchyard of the Rahughat Hydropower Project located in Tilkenichaur, Raghuganga Rural Municipality-3.

An 8-kilometer, 132 kV transmission line from Bandi to the Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale powerhouse has been constructed jointly by the Thulokhola and 22.5-megawatt Upper Thulokhola Hydropower Projects.

The 220 kV transmission line from Chimkhola to Tilkeni has been constructed by the Thulokhola, Upper Thulokhola, Chimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale, and Upper Rahughat Hydropower Projects.