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Tamakoshi Hydropower Company Limited has finalized the tender process for electro-mechanical equipment and transmission line construction under the under-construction 99.8 MW Tamakoshi-5 Hydropower Project.

The contract, advanced through an International Competitive Bidding (ICB) process, has entered a crucial stage of implementation following the selection of the company offering the lowest cost proposal.

In accordance with the Public Procurement Act, 2007, the tender was concluded after completing a multi-stage evaluation process. For verification of documents submitted by technically qualified bidders, clarifications were sought from the respective certifying authorities, end users, and the bidders themselves.

According to Chief Executive Officer Ram Kumar Yadav, the decision was made by the head of the public entity as per Section 47(6) of the Act, based on the submitted documents and legal consultation.

The financial proposals were opened on March 21, 2026, and the evaluation committee submitted its report on March 25, 2026. According to the report, the approved cost estimate of the project (excluding provisional sum, custom duty, and VAT) was approximately NPR 5.53 billion.

Among the participating companies, Hangzhou Jianghe Hydroelectric Science and Technology Co., Ltd submitted a bid of approximately NPR 5.32 billion, which is 3.86 percent lower than the approved estimate.

In comparison, the bid submitted by the joint venture of Hangzhou Resource Power Equipment Co., Ltd and Zhejiang Orient Engineering Co., Ltd (HRPE-ZOEC JV) amounted to approximately NPR 6.13 billion, which is 10.85 percent higher than the estimate.

“Based on this, the company submitting the lowest evaluated and substantially responsive proposal has been selected,” Yadav told Jalasrot. The Letter of Intent (LOI) was issued to the successful bidder on March 26, 2026, in accordance with Sections 27(2) and 69(1) of the Public Procurement Act, 2007.

According to the company, delays in concluding the tender process on time could affect the project schedule and increase costs, which is why a timely decision was made.

With civil and hydromechanical works already progressing, the completion of the electro-mechanical tender is being considered a significant milestone in the project’s implementation.

The company also stated that if the electro-mechanical contract were delayed while civil and hydromechanical works are already underway, it could impact the overall project timeline and increase costs. Therefore, concluding the tender process on time and moving into the implementation phase was necessary.

Meanwhile, as per Section 49 of the Public Procurement Act, 2007 (2063 BS), bidders dissatisfied with the decision have the legal provision to file a complaint with the review committee within the stipulated time.

The Tamakoshi-5 project is being developed through Tamakoshi Hydropower Company Limited, a subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), which was established on March 3, 2017. The project is being constructed on the Tamakoshi River in Dolakha district, about 170 kilometers by road from Kathmandu, within Bigu and Gaurishankar rural municipalities.

The project is based on a tandem system concept, where two or more projects on the same river operate sequentially in an interconnected manner. Accordingly, the intake structure will be linked to the tailrace of the Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project in the Gongar area, while the underground powerhouse will be constructed on the right bank of the Tamakoshi River near the confluence with the Suri Khola.

The 99.8 MW installed capacity project is estimated to generate approximately 495.148 GWh of energy annually (excluding rolling/peaking operation) and about 543.494 GWh (including rolling/peaking operation).

The generated electricity will be transmitted to the Khimti Substation through the Gongar–Khimti 220 kV transmission line. For this purpose, a 3.4-kilometer-long double-circuit “loop-in loop-out” transmission line will be constructed.

Jalasarokar