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Leadership is not merely a matter of personal preference; it is defined by how an executive head plans and drives projects forward with unwavering dedication, commitment, and hard work to transform a sector and ultimately spark national progress.

Kulman Ghising, former Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and former Energy Minister, demonstrated that visionary execution can yield extraordinary results. By ending decade-long load-shedding and implementing critical, strategic power infrastructure projects, he fundamentally improved Nepal's power supply architecture.

The project was initially awarded as a 32 MW venture. Upon taking over as Project Director, Ghising terminated the troubled contract and redesigned the project to upgrade its capacity to 40 MW.

Ghising’s role will be remembered particularly for turning around the long-delayed Raghughat Hydropower Project from the brink of collapse. Having overseen the project in its early phases and later implementing a revised design during his tenure as NEA Managing Director, his leadership proved decisive in making Raghughat a success.

Now that physical construction of the project in Myagdi is complete, Ghising - who has stepped down from executive power - is leading the Ujyaalo Nepal Party to pursue his broader vision of turning Nepal into a prosperous nation.

“It is a moment of great joy to see the Raghughat Hydropower Project begin test generation. Financed by the Exim Bank of India, the operationalization of this project reflects India's support and goodwill toward Nepal’s economic prosperity. I extend my sincere thanks to our friends in India for helping rescue and complete this project,” said Ghising. “NEA officials and project managers also deserve immense credit for their relentless efforts.”

The physical construction and equipment installation for the 40-megawatt project, developed by Raghuganga Hydropower Limited (a subsidiary of the state-owned NEA), are officially finished.

Ganesh KC, Managing Director of Raghuganga Hydropower, confirmed that the project is preparing to begin commercial electricity generation. “Testing of the dam, desander, main tunnel, and switchyard has been successfully completed,” KC said. “Testing of the first 20-megawatt unit is finished, and testing of the second 20-megawatt unit began on Sunday.”

KC noted that testing is expected to conclude within seven to ten days, after which the project will officially grid-feed power. Key infrastructure - including the dam at the foothills of Daghnam (Raghuganga Rural Municipality–4) and Jhinkhe (Ward No. 5), the 6.27-kilometer main tunnel, and two sedimentation ponds - has already passed operational tests.

Infrastructure and Procurement Milestones

At Tilkenichaur, construction of the powerhouse is complete, and operational testing of the installed equipment is underway. The switchyard, built within the powerhouse premises to integrate the project’s power into the national grid, has been operational since Jestha 25 (approximately June 8).

Indian civil contractor Jaiprakash Associates (JP) signed a contract worth Rs 6 billion on November 17, 2017 (Mangsir 6, 2074 B.S.), targeted for completion within 45 months. However, the deadline faced three extensions - pushing the timeline to November 2025.

The project is now nearing completion within its fourth extension period. Harish Agrawal, Project Manager for JP, attributed the delays to the COVID-19 pandemic, severe natural disasters including floods and landslides, and shortages of river-based construction materials.

In Kartik 2076 B.S., an electromechanical contract worth $102.93 million was awarded to Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL). The Raghughat Hydropower Project is being developed under an Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model, funded by a $67 million concessional loan from the Export-Import (EXIM) Bank of India alongside joint investments from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Government of Nepal.

The project had previously suffered major setbacks. Due to financial difficulties, the contract with former contractor IVRCL - originally signed in 2009 (2066 B.S.) - was terminated in 2015 (2072 B.S.), requiring a fresh procurement process to resume construction.

A Gateway to Regional Power

Subin Shrestha, President of the Myagdi Chamber of Commerce and Industry, emphasized that Raghughat - one of the district’s earliest hydropower initiatives and the first developed through government investment - was long considered the "gateway" to Myagdi’s power sector.

“Since the Raghughat project began, 10 other hydropower projects that entered Myagdi have already been completed,” Shrestha noted. “Although it has been a long journey, news of Raghughat’s completion after two decades of waiting has brought immense excitement to the region.”

Under the revised construction phase, Jaiprakash Associates began building access roads in Ashadh 2075 B.S. and initiated tunnel excavation in Ashadh 2076 B.S. A Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) was signed in Chaitra 2075 B.S., targeting an annual generation of 240.59 million units of electricity.

The power generated by Raghughat will connect to the 220-kV double-circuit Dana–Kushma transmission line under the Kaligandaki Corridor via a loop-in/loop-out (LILO) configuration. Construction of the four required transmission towers and the connecting line has also been completed.