Two reservoirs will be constructed by constructing dams about 45 and 103 meters high on Hugdi and Mowa rivers
The Nepal Electricity Authority is going to prioritize the construction of pumped storage hydroelectric power projects for the energy security of the country due to fluctuations in electricity demand at different times of the day. The project development department under the authority had identified 156 pump storage projects across the country. According to the authority, 33 projects of 42 thousand megawatts have been selected and graded.
Feasibility study is being done by taking the survey permit for the 332 MW pump storage project at Syarputal located in Rukum (West). The 670 MW Dudhkoshi Reservoir Hydroelectric Project is also studying the 200 MW Pumped Storage Project. Feasibility studies for the construction of Hulingtar-Dukimpump storage project of about 1596 megawatts are going to be conducted in Benighat Rorang of Dhading and Hugdi and Mowakhola in Ichchakamana Rural Municipality of Chitwan, which have access roads, transmission lines, etc., near the Kathmandu Valley and electricity load centers. The project development department is currently conducting a desk study of the project. For the
project, two reservoirs will be constructed by constructing dams of about 45 and 103 meters high respectively in Hugdi (upper area) and Mowa (lower area) rivers. The power house will be located in Mowakhola. Electricity will be generated using water stored in the reservoir of Hugdi River. After the power generation, the water stored in Mowakhola (lower reservoir) will be pumped and released again in Hugdi Khola (upper reservoir), the authority informed. The project has been designed so that it can run at full capacity for 6 hours during peak electricity demand.
In the pump storage project, the water is pumped and stored in the reservoir built in the upper part of the river during the time when there is a minimum demand for electricity (off-peak) or when the price of energy is at a minimum. The water stored in this way is used to generate electricity during peak or high price periods. Pumped storage project is considered important for power system stability, surplus energy management and energy security due to peak demand and consumption. The pumped and stored water can be pumped during off-peak hours to produce electricity during peak hours for domestic consumption and the surplus energy can be sold to India at a high price during peak hours. About 3.36 billion units of energy will be produced annually from the project. According to the authority, it is estimated that the cost of the project will be around 77.5 million rupees.
