Lamjung, July 31, 2016: The 50 megawatts Upper Marshyangd i-A Hydropower Project undergoing construction at its last leg at Lamjung’s Bhulbhule has started testing its dam site.
To mark the onset of the test launched by project promoter Sino-Sagarmatha, a ‘River Embankment Ceremony’ was organised at the dam site in Ngadi, by blocking the Marshyangdi River and channelising the river water to the newly constructed dam.
Representatives of the Chinese company Power China, the local administration, parliamentarians, and local political party leaders were present on the occasion today.
According to the Promoter Assistant Director Chang Fa Pin, the test is an extensive operation and will last for a few days. “There are two gates on the dam and three main gates in the Marshyangdi River, besides other vital structures. It is the test of mainly those structures,†he said.
The project is expected to start power generation from August 30.
“Had everything gone well, we would have long gone into the operation phase, but that was not possible due to the devastating earthquakes and the Indian blockade,†said the project’s public relations officer Karna Adhikari, adding that unforeseen hindrances delayed completion of the project by six months.
Meanwhile, the project promoter has also begun laying transmission line. Of the total 54 towers, 51 have already been installed so far. Similarly, the project is also carrying out development activities in the affected area on a war footing.
According to the Upper Marshyangdi-A Hydropower Project Concern and Coordination Committee Chair Jit Bahadur Gurung, of the 60 development activities pledged by the project most have been completed.
The project, developed jointly by China Sino Hydro, and Sagarmatha Power Company of Nepal, will be generating power by damming the Marshyandi river at Ngadi Dobhan in Bahundanda-7 and channeling the river water to the power house on the river bank in Bhulbhule-3 via a 5km long underground tunnel.
