The Brahmayani Hydropower Company has officially commenced the construction of its 45 MW hydropower project in Jugal Rural Municipality, Sindhupalchok. On Sunday, the company initiated the tunnel construction for the Brahmayani hydropower project by detonating the mouth of the tunnel.

The project involves channeling water from the Brahmayani River in Jugal Rural Municipality-2 Chhindang to a bi-located powerhouse near Tembathan through a 5.5 km tunnel. The entrance road and engineering camp for the project have already been completed. The financial management of the project’s construction has been secured through a contract with commercial banks, led by Sanima Bank. The total cost of the project is estimated at 9 billion rupees.

According to Bharat Parajuli, the company’s president, the goal is to generate electricity within three years. He assured that efforts will be made to meet this deadline, despite any potential challenges. The project has already constructed 27 km of access roads, including 4 km of new tracks.

To ensure continuous progress even during the summer, the company has made arrangements to transport essential machinery and construction materials during the dry season. Additionally, a belay bridge has been built to access the project site, with plans to construct three more bridges.

Parajuli mentioned that the process of selecting the primary contractor is nearing completion. The selection for the contractor is currently underway. In a ceremonial event, Chief District Officer of Sindhupalchok, Kiran Thapa, along with a team from the local administration, Nepali Army, Nepal Police, and Armed Police, activated the tunnel blast by pressing the switch at the tunnel’s mouth.

The tunnel construction began with traditional Lama and Brahmin rituals. The project site, located at the foot of the mountain in Jugal, can be reached from Balefi of the Arani Highway to the north via Jalvire.

Source: Kantipur