This report explains how recent heavy rainfall across Nepal had a negligible impact on physical hydropower infrastructure despite earlier investor concerns.
On the morning of Asoj 6, a prominent stockbroker called to share concerns regarding heavy rainfall forecasted from Asoj 8 to 11. Given the severe damage caused by floods in Asoj 2081, where over 20 projects including Mandu Hydropower suffered nearly 1 arba in losses, the market was anxious. This fear was reflected in the market performance on Asoj 7, when the hydropower sub-index fell by 61 points and dominated total trading volume.
Impact of Recent Rains
Heavy rainfall hit much of the country as predicted, with extreme levels recorded in Gandaki province. Over 186 measuring stations recorded more than 100 millimeters of rain, with locations like Dadhegaun recording 544.2 millimeters. The Narayani River reached its highest water level ever recorded at Devghat, and the Kali Gandaki experienced massive floods.
Assessing the Damage
Unlike the events of 2081, only two projects reported direct physical damage this time. The 40 MW Rahughat project suffered damage to its tailrace gate, and the 2.5 MW Daramkhola-A project (listed as Samyaptrali Hydropower) also reported issues. Most other projects remained safe, though many were temporarily shut down for safety as water levels rose.
Transmission Line Challenges
The main issue arose from landslides damaging the Dana-Kusma 220 kV transmission line, which forced 12 projects representing 358.2 MW to stop sending electricity to the national grid. Among these are projects managed by Mountain Energy Nepal (MEN) and Ghalemdi Hydro (GHL). It is important to note that these projects are intact, but they cannot sell electricity until the Nepal Electricity Authority completes repairs, which is expected to take about 7 to 10 days. The cost of this delay is limited to lost sales rather than the huge expense of rebuilding physical structures.
Lessons from Preparations
According to Mohan Kumar Dangi, president of the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (IPPAN), the industry managed to avoid major disasters this year because projects received weather alerts on time. Proactive preparation helped prevent the kind of widespread destruction seen in previous years, and coordination is currently underway with the electricity authority to restore the grid connection as soon as possible.
AI Disclaimer: This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. It has been translated with the help of AI. For the best understanding and accurate facts, we recommend reading the original Nepali version.
