After an 88-day closure, Upper Tamakoshi is now generating electricity again

After an 88-day shutdown, the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project (UTKHPL), the largest hydropower project in Nepal, has partially resumed electricity generating.

On Tuesday evening at 7:40 pm, after 88 days, energy generation was resumed, and some repairs were made to the damaged structures caused by landslides and floods brought on by the persistent rainfall on September 27 and 28. With the river’s water flow completely utilized and connected into the national transmission system, the project is currently producing 120 megawatts of power.

The Tamakoshi River’s water flow rose as a result of the ongoing rains, and on September 27, at 7 p.m., the central station’s energy generation was stopped. The control room building to the right and just below the dam site, the sand settling pond (desander), and the subterranean canal (culvert) that transports water from the dam to the desander were all damaged by the landslide.

On the 300-meter access road segment connecting the dam site at Lamabagar and the power station at Gongar, a big stone fell, blocking the road. Explosives were used to clear the path of the rocks. Furthermore, rainfall at tower number 46 in Singti damaged the 220 kV Gongar-Khimti transmission line, which carries power generated by the UTKHPL.

One day ahead of schedule, power production began in one of the two transformers after the left-side transformer’s partial repairs were finished. The partially damaged transformer’s wall’s original slope was dismantled and rebuilt. In a similar manner, the culvert’s wall and ceiling have been repaired using grouting.

The upper Tamakoshi is now operational, and the Desander that was damaged by the landslide has been partially restored. The desander’s remaining components are being maintained. Once the project is finished, water can be stored for usage when electricity demand is low and used to power the UTKHPL for four hours during morning and evening peak demand periods. In order to be utilized during peak hours in mid-December to mid-January (Poush), the UTKHPL is undergoing renovations.

The team, which included the CEO and members of the company’s board of directors, conducted a site inspection on December 3 and established a timeline to finish the maintenance by December 25 and start producing electricity, according to Kulman Ghising, managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and chairman of the board of directors of Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Ltd, the company that is the promoter of the hydroelectric power station.

According to NEA MD Ghising, the upkeep of the upper Tamakosi was finished and the power generation began one day early because of the unwavering efforts of the company’s board of directors, management, consultants, and builders.

Two company employees and two soldiers on guard duty were killed in the landslide caused by the mound of stones and debris in the de-sander. “There was no access road to the place and the power supply was cut off,” Ghising claimed, adding that the workers on the site were terrified. It was really difficult to carry out the maintenance in such a circumstance. But thanks to everyone’s help and collaboration, we’ve finished the repairs and made some progress toward generating electricity.

Ghising added, “Power supply management was uncomfortable due to the shutdown of the nation’s largest power plant. The balance of power imports from India will be reduced during peak power supply with the partial launch of power generation from the UTKHPL.

According to Mohan Prasad Gautam, the company’s chief executive officer, the board of directors and expert groups’ recommendations for running the power plant were taken into consideration. Maintenance and repair procedures were put in place, and work was done in a methodical manner. Regular monitoring allowed us to generate electricity ahead of schedule.

Before the next rainy season begins, a tender has been called to choose building contractors to fix the other descender on the right, according to CEO Gautam.

Because the hydropower plant’s whole structure is insured, the money recovered from the insurance will cover the cost of maintaining the damaged structure. For the landslide damage, the firm had initially filed an insurance claim for Rs 1.78 billion.

The business is evaluating the damage in conjunction with National Insurance Company Limited. The insurance sum will be paid after the job is finished. In a similar vein, the proceeds from the selling of energy have a three-month insurance policy. Two months’ worth of income will be paid to the business in accordance with the terms and conditions specified in the insurance contract.