Kathmandu, April 30 The 60-megawatt Upper Trishuli 3A hydropower project has successfully passed the power generation test, which was conducted on Monday. Kul Man Ghising, managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), informed that Trishuli 3A hydropower project has completed its production test and is ready to start power generation. Production test of the project includes testing the main tunnel, headrace tunnel, various equipment, barrage of the pond, turbine and entire project mechanism to ensure that the project is ready to generate electricity. However, power is not generated during the production test of the project. NEA had set a target to start commissioning first unit — 30 megawatts — of electricity from the project by April and the second unit by June 30. However, electricity production from the project could not be started by the targeted time following delay in the project’s test production due to a few technical hurdles, informed Ghising. “The project is now almost ready for producing electricity. It will start commercial production of power by May 15,” he added. As part of the project, construction of a 220 kV transmission line up to Matatirtha of Kathmandu has already been completed. The project located in Nuwakot was earlier surrounded in uncertainty after the contractor, China Gezhouba Group Company, halted all works citing heavy damage to access road and dam during the 2015 quake. The Chinese firm resumed works after the government had the access road repaired by the Nepali Army. NEA is developing the project under Engineering, Procurement and Construction modality with financial support from ExIm Bank of China. The estimated cost of the project is almost Rs 126 million.