Work starts on Nepal hydro plant

The foundation stone of the 900MW Arun-3 hydroelectric project in Nepal was recently laid by the Prime Minister of India, Narendera Modi, and the Prime Minister of Nepal, Khadga Prasad Oli.

Located on the Arun River in the Sunkhuwashabha District of Nepal, 657km from Kathmandu, the INR7,000 crores (US$1.03 billion) project is being developed by India-based SJVN through its wholly-owned subsidiary SJVN Arun-3 Power Development Company. The export-oriented project was awarded on a build-own-operate-transfer basis for a period of 30 years.

Electricity from the project will be exported to India via a 217km-long 400kV double-circuit transmission line.

The dam itself will be 70m tall with an 11.7km-long head race tunnel. Its power house will be underground and will consist of four vertical Francis turbines with a capacity of 225MW each. In total, the hydroelectric plant will have a capacity to generate 900MW.

The plant is scheduled to take five years to construct, and the project is expected indirectly to boost the development of roads, bridges and other amenities in the area.