Rahughat hydel project sees 60% construction in 14 years

Fourteen years into construction, the under-construction 40-megawatt-capacity Rahughat hydropower project has seen 60 per cent of construction work. The construction of the project was started in 2066 BS by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) with a concessional loan of USD 67 million from the Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) and joint investment of the NEA and the Government of Nepal.

After the contract with the old contractor, IVRCL was terminated in 2072 BS due to the weak economic situation, the construction of the project advanced under the company’s concept and engineering procurement and contract (EPC) format.

The project should have been completed in 2070 BS according to the previous schedule and agreement. The civil contractor Jaiprakash Associate (JP), which signed the contract of Rs 6 billion with the completion target being 2074 BS, has not been able to complete the project within the stipulated time.

Overall 60 percent physical progress and 45 percent financial progress have taken place so far, said the project manager Raj Bista. “The project aimed to operate from January 2023. The contractor could not meet the completion target due to COVID-19 and other disasters. So, the contract agreement has been extended until 17 October 2024,” he said.

The old contractor, IVRCL, did 10 per cent of the work in eight years. The JP Company, which started works on construction of the access road in 2075 BS and a tunnel in 2076 BS, has so far constructed a 61-metre deep surge shaft, a 329-metre bottom pressure shaft, a 654-metre-long four access roads leading to the main tunnel and a 196-metre vertical tunnel.

Out of six km and 270 metres long tunnels, 5,162 metres have been completed so far. One thousand one hundred and eight metres of tunnel remains to be dug.