KATHMANDU, AUGUST 1

Pharping Hydropower Station, the first in Nepal and the second in Asia with a capacity of 500 kilowatts, will be transformed into an energy museum.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is preparing a master plan by appointing NEA Engineering Company Ltd as a consultant to develop the station into a hydropower museum and a tourist spot. Renovation of old structures and construction of new structures on vacant land will be done by connecting the historical hydrology centre with tourism.

Green park, restaurant, shop, zip line, picnic spot, library, wall garden and other structures will be built around the reservoir and power house area of the centre located in Dakshinkali municipality of Kathmandu.

The structures of the hydropower centre will be renovated and developed as a museum.

The estimated cost of implementing the master plan prepared by the consultant is around one billion rupees. The centre owns 324 ropanis of land. For the construction of tourist structures, 46 ropanis of reservoir area and about 146 ropanis of power house area will be used.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet, who had participated in the tree planting programme held on Monday at the premises of Pharping Hydropower Centre on the occasion of the authority's 38th anniversary, was informed about the master plan.

Minister Basnet, Managing Director of NEA Kulman Ghising and others observed the condition of the power plant and other structures of the centre.

Minister Basnet said that the historical significance of the power station should be preserved and developed as a place of reference and a place to understand the history of hydroelectricity scholars, researchers and all interested.

He emphasised that plans and programmes should be implemented so that it also translated to the socio-economic growth of the local residents.

Pharping Hydroelectric Power Station was officially put into operation on May 22, 1911. Inaugurated by the then king Prithvi Bir Bikram Shah by turning the lights on in Tundikhel amidst a programme, electricity was then distributed to the royal family, Rana family members and others. Since it was built during the regime of Rana prime minister Chandra Shamsher, the centre was named Chandrajyoti. The cost of the project, which took about four years to complete, was Rs 713,000 The centre was operational till 1981. But after that, the operation of the power plant was stopped when the reservoir water was used for water supply in different areas of Lalitpur.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 2, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.