A 328-megawatt (MW) semi-reservoir hydropower project is set to be constructed in the Himalayan district of Dolpa.

The project, named Bharbung-Tatu Khola Hydropower Project, will be built in Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality, located in the northern part of the district. For the construction of the project, the Department of Electricity Development (DoED) has initiated the necessary feasibility study and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) approval process.

According to the department’s Deputy Director General, Gokarna Raj Panth, although the feasibility study and environmental impact assessment have been completed, the project is currently at the approval stage. Both reports of this semi-reservoir type project have been submitted to the Ministry of Forests and Environment, with a recommendation from the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, for approval.

He further explained that the studies for the project were conducted over four to five years with investment from the Government of Nepal. The studies were carried out jointly by Fichtner Company of Germany and Hydro Company of Nepal.

Once the Forest Ministry grants approval, the government will decide whether to fund the project directly or seek cooperation from the private sector like other hydropower projects, ensuring ownership and securing the water source, Deputy Director General Panth added.

The project will utilize the waters of the Bharbung and Tatu rivers, and physical infrastructure will be constructed in both Chharka Tangsong and Kaike Rural Municipalities. According to the department, the Bharbung River will generate 325 MW of electricity.

Additionally, 1.12 cubic meters per second of water from the Tatu River will be used in a river-flow-based system to generate an additional 3.10 MW of hydropower. During construction, three wards across the two municipalities will be affected.

Specifically, wards 4 and 5 of Chharka Tangsong Rural Municipality and ward 1 of Kaike Rural Municipality will be impacted. In Charkatangson-4, a 169-meter-high dam, a 766-meter-long diversion tunnel, an intake structure, and a 16-kilometer-long headrace tunnel will be constructed, according to the department.

Underground powerhouses and water discharge channels will also be built in wards 4 of Chharka Tangsong and ward 1 of Kaike, while the project’s reservoir will submerge certain areas of Charkatangson-5.

The total estimated cost of the project is NRs. 439.30 crore. Earlier, a 106-MW hydropower project, Jagdulla, is already under construction in Dolpa, spanning Jagdulla and Mudkechula Rural Municipalities.

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