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The 40-MW Rahughat Hydropower Project in Myagdi has successfully completed test production, bringing the long-delayed project closer to commercial operation.

Developed by Raghuganga Hydropower Limited (RGHPL), a subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the project tested both of its 20-MW generating units on Tuesday and Wednesday by supplying electricity to the national grid.

“We have operated both units at full capacity and connected them to the central transmission line,” said Ganesh KC, managing director of RGHPL.

According to KC, the project will enter commercial operation after completing 15 days of test generation as required under its agreement with the NEA.

The project includes a dam, a 6,270-metre main tunnel and two desilting basins at Dagnam-4 and Jhin-5 of Raghuganga Rural Municipality. The powerhouse is located at Tilkenichaur in Ward No. 3, along the Beni-Jomsom section of the Kaligandaki Corridor.

Project Chief Raj Bahadur Bista said an 11-kilometre access road has been constructed between Tilkenichaur and the dam site, passing through Ghumaunetal, Piple, Mauwafant and Bugl. A Bailey bridge has also been constructed over the Rahughat River.

The project has a switchyard and other infrastructure required to connect the powerhouse to the 220-kV double-circuit Dana-Kushma transmission line under the Kaligandaki Corridor.

RGHPL signed a power purchase agreement with the NEA in April 2018, with the project expected to generate 240.59 million units of electricity annually.

Indian contractor Jaiprakash Associates (JP) was awarded the civil construction contract for around Rs 6 billion. The contract was signed on November 17, 2017, with an initial completion deadline of 45 months. However, the project suffered repeated delays, resulting in several deadline extensions.

According to JP Project Manager Harish Agrawal, construction was disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, floods, landslides and shortages of river-based construction materials.

RGHPL was established in March 2017 to develop the 40-MW project in Myagdi. Following the successful test generation, the project is now nearing commercial operation after years of delays.

The project's entry into commercial production is expected to strengthen electricity supply at a time when more than 400 MW of hydropower capacity has been affected by recent floods in Rasuwa.