The automation installation work in the two main units of the Kulekhani Hydropower Project has been completed on time at a cost of around Rs 250 million under the leadership of Nepali technicians.
What you should know
The work of installing automation in the machines of the first and second units of the Kulekhani Hydropower Project has been completed.
The automation machine installation, which was carried out with the involvement of Nepali technicians, was completed on time. The automation installation work in the Kulekhani first and second units was completed on Saturday after the Kulekhani Hydropower Project was shut down. The installation was started in the first week of Asoj and was completed in 55 days, said Nepal Electricity Authority Automation Project Chief Umang Karki. ‘Now, the four machines of Kulekhani first and second are being operated from computers. Now, manpower is not required to operate the machines,’ he said.
Before the automation installation, manpower had to be used to generate electricity. After the automation is installed, the electricity generation and shutdown are done from the computer.
Project Chief Karki said that the automation was installed at a cost of about 250 million rupees. ‘The work was completed on time with skilled manpower deployed 24 hours a day,’ he said.
A Japanese company had demanded 750 million rupees to install automation in the four machines of the first and second units of the Kulekhani Hydropower Project. The Nepal Electricity Authority has stated that Enrich Hydro Company has completed the work at a cost of about Rs 250 million using Nepali technicians.
The Kulekhani Hydropower Project was shut down since the second week of Asoj for the installation of automation. After the automation installation work was completed, the project has been generating electricity when needed.
Since Kulekhani does not need to generate electricity during the rainy season, maintenance and automation installation work including shutdown have been carried out since the second week of Asoj. Automation Project Chief Karki said that preparations are being made to operate the second project automatically from the first project.
The first and second projects, which were built about 43 years ago, are of old models, so automation has been installed in them.
The Kulekhani Project, which is the 'backup' of the Nepal Electricity Authority, is brought into operation during the dry season. The project is operated based on electricity consumption during that time. The first, second and third projects of Kulekhani were built with the aim of using the water collected in Indrasarovar.
Kulekhani not filled
Kulekhani reservoir has not been filled this year due to low rainfall in the Kulekhani catchment area. The water level in the reservoir was 1,520.59 centimeters as of 9 am on Sunday. The water level was 1,520.53 centimeters at the same time on Saturday morning.
The water level in the Kulekhani reservoir is currently rising by barely 5-6 centimeters in 24 hours. Kulekhani has a capacity to hold up to 1,530 meters of water. There is still about 9.5 meters left to fill the reservoir.
A technician from Kulekhani Pratham said that the possibility of filling the reservoir this year has been eliminated. ‘Since the reservoir is not filled, there will be problems in power generation during the dry season,’ he said.
Last year, Kulekhani was filled and the dam was opened. Due to this, the bridge at Simkhola and the settlement of Sisneri along with the road were damaged. The Kulekhani reservoir is 300 meters wide and 7 kilometers long.
All three projects generate electricity from the water collected in the reservoir. Indrasarovar was constructed in 2039 BS at a cost of 12 million US dollars.
