Kathmandu, April 21

A high-level team of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has directed the Mid-Bhotekoshi hydropower project to complete the construction works within June next year.

After the field visit of the 102-megawatt capacity project in Sindhupalchowk district, the high-level government officials directed the project to complete the construction works within the aforementioned deadline.

Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Barshaman Pun, Secretary at MoEWRI Anup Kumar Upadhyay and Managing Director of NEA Kulman Ghising, held consultations with the project management team, consultant and the contractor of the project during the visit. They urged the concerned parties to finish all related works within the scheduled time.

“The government wants to complete this project on time and all the concerned authorities must work earnestly to do so,” Minister Pun said. He added that the project construction has been delayed for too long and concerned officials must now prioritise and focus on the deadline.

Similarly, Ghising said that the Mid-Bhotekoshi hydropower project is a priority of NEA. “The construction process of the project has not been satisfactory,” he stated. “All the related works should be completed in a parallel manner.”

It has been reported that Gwangxi Hydroelectric Construction Bureau of China, which is the contractor for the hydromechanical works of the project, has been delaying its works due to which also the project has been delayed.

The project had initially set a target to complete the construction process within 2017. However, only around 60 per cent of the total works has been completed till date. The construction works of the project were apparently affected by the landslide in Jure in 2014 and the earthquakes of 2015. The project had thus changed its target and set a new deadline to complete construction works within June 2019.

The project was initiated by Chilime Hydropower Company when Ghising was the managing director of the company. Along with Chilime, NEA, investment companies, depositors of Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and the general public of Sindhupalchowk district have made investments in the project. Meanwhile, EPF has also provided a loan to the project. The project is estimated to cost Rs 12.28 billion when it is completed.