Sunkoshi Hydro lowers power generation

Lamosanghu, November 26:

Government owned Sunkoshi Hydel Project (SHP) has lowered its power generation to give way to the expensive power produced by the private hydel projects.

The SHP had started lowering its power generation since the last three years after power generated from Sanima Hydel Centre (SHC) and Chaku Hydel Project (CHP) were connected to its 10.05 megawatts capacity grid.

An employee said that the SHP continued to reduce its own power generation after 1.5 megawatts (MW) of Chaku and Sanima’s one megawatt (MW) power lines were connected to its transformer.

The employee, on condition of anonymity, said that the Sunkoshi Hydel Project completely stopped running one of its turbines after its agreement with these two private hydel projects.

As the SHP stopped its one turbine of the three, it has been generating four to six megawatts (MW) in average. The NEA during the power purchase agreement (PPA) had agreed to allow these private power companies to link their generated power to its substation. The agreement states that the NEA must buy the power produced by these two power companies regardless of the capacity of the SHP.

“It has incurred the state a huge loss,” the employee said, adding that the work of installing a transformer with additional capacity has begun at the SHP premise three years ago, but not completed yet.

The delay is due to the private interest of the high level officials of the NEA as they have shares in the private hydel projects, said the NEA employees.

Ram Kumar Yadav, head at the SHP, admitted that the SHP continued to generate power below its capacity.

However, he claimed that the Sunkoshi Hydel Project operates with a full capacity during night shift. But the employees who are responsible to measure the power generation maintained that the Sunkoshi Hydel Project has in recent days never operated with full capacity.

Suresh Nepal, former district development committee (DDC) chairman and a local stakeholder said that the SHP’s is a shady deal as it is causing a huge loss to the nation.