देवघाटमा १२६ मेगावाटको तल्लो सेती जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको सुरुङ निर्माण सुरुTunnel Construction Begins for 126 MW Lower Seti Hydropower Project in Tanahun
तनहुँको Devghat Rural Municipality–४ मा निर्माण हुन लागेको १२६ मेगावाट क्षमताको तल्लो सेती जलविद्युत् आयोजनाको प्रवेश सुरुङ निर्माण सुरु गरिएको छ । Nepal Electricity Authority पूर्णस्वामित्वको तनहुँ हाइड्रोपावरले सुरुङ निर्माणका लागि आर.के. हाइड्रो इन्जिनियरिङ एन्ड एसोसिएट्ससँग ठेक्का सम्झौता गरेको हो ।
आयोजना प्रमुख हरिकुमार श्रेष्ठका अनुसार विस्फोटक पदार्थ प्रयोगसम्बन्धी स्वीकृतिमा ढिलाइ हुँदा निर्माण केही समय प्रभावित भए पनि आवश्यक अनुमति प्राप्त भएपछि अहिले सुरुङ निर्माण अघि बढाइएको हो । यो सुरुङ आयोजना निर्माणका लागि आवश्यक भूगर्भीय अध्ययन, अन्वेषण तथा पहुँच मार्गका रूपमा प्रयोग हुनेछ ।
पिकिङ रन अफ द रिभर प्रकृतिको अर्धजलाशययुक्त यस आयोजनाको बाँध तनहुँको बन्दीपुर गाउँपालिका अन्तर्गत सेती नदीमा निर्माण गरिनेछ । ३२ मिटर अग्लो बाँधबाट करिब १२.७ किलोमिटर लामो जलाशय बन्नेछ भने पानीलाई ६.७५ किलोमिटर सुरुङमार्फत देवघाटस्थित अर्धभूमिगत विद्युत्गृहमा पुर्याइने योजना छ ।
आयोजनाबाट वार्षिक ५२०.७८ करोड युनिट विद्युत् उत्पादन गर्ने लक्ष्य राखिएको छ । कुल अनुमानित लागत २२७ मिलियन अमेरिकी डलर रहेको आयोजनामा ३० प्रतिशत स्वपुँजी र ७० प्रतिशत ऋण लगानी रहने अवधारणागत निर्णय भइसकेको प्राधिकरणले जनाएको छ ।
आयोजनाका लागि आवश्यक जग्गा अधिग्रहण प्रक्रिया सुरु भइसकेको छ भने विद्युत् खरिद सम्झौता प्रक्रियामा रहेको बताइएको छ । साथै तनहुँ जलविद्युत् आयोजनाकै प्रसारण लाइन प्रयोग गर्न सकिने भएकाले थप प्रसारण पूर्वाधार निर्माणको आवश्यकता नपर्ने आयोजना पक्षको भनाइ छ ।
आयोजना सञ्चालनमा आएपछि हिउँदयाममा दैनिक न्यूनतम ६ घण्टा १२६ मेगावाट विद्युत् उत्पादन गर्न सकिने जनाइएको छ । आयोजना काठमाडौँ र भरतपुरजस्ता प्रमुख लोड सेन्टर नजिक भएकाले लागत प्रभावी र व्यावसायिक रूपमा पनि महत्वपूर्ण मानिएको छ ।
Construction of the access tunnel for the 126-megawatt Lower Seti Hydropower Project has officially begun at Devghat Rural Municipality–4 in Tanahun district. The project is being developed by Tanahun Hydropower, a fully owned subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority.
According to project chief Hari Kumar Shrestha, construction had been delayed due to procedural approvals related to the use of explosives. Following completion of the approval process, tunnel excavation work has now moved forward. The access tunnel will play a key role in geological investigation, exploration and access to the project’s main structures.
The Lower Seti project is a semi-reservoir type peaking run-of-the-river hydropower project. Its dam will be constructed on the Seti River near Saranghat in Bandipur Rural Municipality of Tanahun. The project includes a 32-meter-high dam and an estimated 12.7-kilometer-long reservoir.
Water collected in the reservoir will be diverted through a 6.75-kilometer tunnel to a semi-underground powerhouse located at Gaighat in Devghat Rural Municipality. The project aims to generate around 520.78 million units of electricity annually.
Project officials said the estimated total cost stands at around 227 million US dollars. The financing structure is planned with 30 percent equity investment and 70 percent loan investment. The detailed project report was prepared with grant assistance from the Asian Development Bank.
Land acquisition for the powerhouse and staff quarters has already begun, while the power purchase agreement process is currently underway. Officials also noted that the project will be able to utilize the transmission infrastructure of the under-construction Tanahun Hydropower Project, reducing the need for additional transmission investment.
Once completed, the project is expected to generate 126 megawatts of electricity for at least six hours daily during the dry season. Because the project is located relatively close to major load centers such as Kathmandu and Bharatpur, it is being viewed as both commercially viable and cost-effective.
