A remarkable transformation is underway in Narchyang of Annapurna Rural Municipality-4, Myagdi, where five hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 162 megawatts have already been completed. Additional projects with more than 236 megawatts capacity are under construction and in the approval pipeline, turning the once remote mountain settlement into one of Nepal’s fastest-growing hydropower hubs.

According to Ward Chairperson Lok Bahadur Pun, the 5 MW Ghalemdi Khola, 42 MW Mristikhola, 38 MW Nilgiri-I, 71 MW Nilgiri-II and 6 MW Relekhola hydropower projects are currently in operation. Construction of the 66.3 MW Kaligandaki Hydropower Project is ongoing, while the 9.14 MW Super Ghalemdi project is being prepared for construction. Likewise, the 164 MW Kaligandaki Gorge Hydropower Project has proposed its powerhouse site in Narchyang.

These projects have significantly reshaped the local economy and lifestyle. “Roads have reached places we could never imagine. There are jobs and income in every household. People who had migrated to towns and foreign countries for employment are now returning to the village,” Chairperson Pun said, noting that outmigration has visibly slowed in recent years.

Improved infrastructure - new roads, suspension bridges, school buildings, health facilities, and local market expansion - has strengthened social and economic mobility. Local entrepreneur Tej Gurung said the hydropower boom has boosted land value, agriculture, livestock, hotels, transport businesses, contract services and wage employment. “Lives have changed. Income sources have diversified. The financial condition of villagers is no longer the same,” he added.

Narchyang’s Prabha Secondary School now offers hydropower engineering studies, supported by project funding. Royalty sharing provisions ensure Annapurna Rural Municipality receives direct revenue, while affected households have been allowed to invest in promoter shares in multiple hydropower companies.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has already connected electricity generated from Ghalemdi, Mristi and Thapakhola projects to the national transmission grid via a 220 kV substation built in Dana in 2020. The expansion of the Dana–Khirkot transmission line has further encouraged large-scale hydropower investments across the Kaligandaki corridor.

Local hydropower developer and former FNCCI vice president Pramod Shrestha said investor interest in Myagdi and surrounding districts has surged following improved transmission access. “This region is now recognized as a major renewable energy production zone,” he stated.

Narchyang, once known as a remote trail stop toward the Annapurna Base Camp, is now emerging as a model village powered by hydropower-driven development, reversing decades of outward migration and creating a sustainable local economy.