Construction begins on 65MW Myagdikhola Hydro in Dhaulagiri, Targeting power generation by 2028

KATHMANDU: Construction of the 65-megawatt Myagdikhola Hydropower Project has officially commenced at Bagar in Dhaulagiri Rural Municipality–4, marking another significant addition to Nepal’s expanding clean energy portfolio.

Promoted by Hydro Village Pvt. Ltd., the project is advancing multiple components simultaneously, including access roads, tunnel excavation, powerhouse construction, and transmission infrastructure. This parallel execution strategy is aimed at accelerating timelines and meeting the targeted commissioning date.

Project Chief Uttam Poudel stated that key preparatory works are already underway. A diversion road has been constructed along the banks of the Myagdi River to connect Bagar village to the dam site at Dobhan, covering approximately 10 kilometers. The project has also established a site office in Bagar to coordinate operations.

One of the early milestones includes the initiation of a 1,130-meter-long tailrace tunnel, which will discharge water from the powerhouse back into the river system. Civil contractor Bhugol Infrastructure has begun excavation works and is preparing to move forward with major structures, including the dam, headrace tunnel, and powerhouse.

The hydropower scheme is designed as a run-of-river project. Water will be collected from a dam at the confluence of Myagdikhola and Kunabang streams and directed into a 75-meter-long and 11.9-meter-high desander basin to remove sediments.

From there, water will flow through a 710-meter pipeline into a 3.6-kilometer tunnel system, followed by an additional 750-meter pipeline before being dropped from a height of 607 meters into an underground powerhouse to generate electricity.

The project includes complex underground infrastructure such as a 209-meter vertical shaft, a 230-meter pressure tunnel, a 587-meter inclined tunnel, and a 757-meter penstock pipe. The underground powerhouse will house three turbine units designed to optimize seasonal flow variations.

According to project data, the plant is expected to generate approximately 117.82 GWh of electricity during the dry season and 264.45 GWh during the monsoon season, contributing significantly to Nepal’s national grid and addressing seasonal power deficits.

To integrate the generated electricity into the national transmission system, a 132 kV double-circuit transmission line is being developed. The line will connect the project to the Dandakhyet substation located around 16.5 kilometers from Bagar.

With an estimated cost of NPR 13 billion—calculated at roughly NPR 200 million per megawatt—the project reflects growing private sector investment in Nepal’s hydropower sector. Officials aim to begin electricity generation by Chaitra 2084 (March/April 2028).

Project Manager Pramesh Thapa confirmed that while civil works contractors have been mobilized since Poush, the selection process for electromechanical and hydromechanical contractors is currently underway.

In preparation for large-scale tunneling involving explosives, the project is also planning to establish a security camp for the Nepali Army at Bhaisikharak in the coming days. The deployment is expected to ensure safe handling and storage of explosive materials before full-scale excavation of the main tunnel begins.