The physical progress of the 140-megawatt Tanahun Hydropower Project under construction on the Seti River in Tanahun is only 72 percent. The overall financial progress of the project under construction, divided into three packages, is 66 percent, according to Tanahun Hydropower Limited.

The company has been awarded the contract to build the dam site under Package-1, the power house and related equipment under Package-2, and the transmission line under Package-3.

The company's project chief Shyamji Bhandari said that the dam site and transmission line work are currently 'critical'. He said that the progress of the dam site work under Package-1 is 47 percent. On November 10, Energy Minister Kulman Ghising had also directed to complete the project work quickly, giving priority to the dam site and transmission line during the project inspection.

The progress of Package-1 has been slow as the work started two and a half years later compared to Package-2 and Package-3, said the project chief Bhandari. 'We had invited bids for all three packages. But the contract was terminated after the Italian company CMC, which won the contract for Package-1, did not submit a guarantee as per the agreement,' he said. 'No one came when the contract was invited for the second time. The contract was finally awarded when the tender was issued for the third time. The work started two and a half years later compared to other packages. That is why the progress of the first package is less.'

Work on Package-2 and Package-3 began in January 2019, while work on Package-1 began in August 2021. Bhandari said that a 140-meter-high main dam will be constructed on the Seti River, which flows through the border of Rishing-1 and Byas Municipality-5. He said that the physical progress of Package-1, for which Songda Corporation, Vietnam-Kalika Construction Pvt. Ltd. Nepal JV has taken responsibility for the construction, is 47 percent.

The work on the power house and related equipment under Package-2 is being done by Sino Hydro Corporation of China. The project has stated that its progress is 72 percent. Bhandari said that the civil work of the power house is 98 percent complete, while electromechanical work is ongoing. The project says that the installation work is underway as the equipment including generators, turbines, transformers and others in the power house have arrived. 

Under Package-3, KEC International Limited, India has taken over the responsibility of constructing a 220 KVA double circuit transmission line from Damauli to Bharatpur in Chitwan. Out of the 94 towers on the 33 km transmission line, 14 are in Chitwan. ‘We have not been able to construct the towers there, it was estimated that it would cost Rs 5.65 billion including tree felling, forest area usage fee, tree plantation and its conservation for 5 years,’ he said, ‘The Ministry of Finance should have ensured the source of that. The Ministry of Finance has already written a letter to the Ministry of Forest and Environment. Now, the work will move forward after the agreement.’ The target is to complete the construction of the entire project by Ashar 2083 (May 2026).