Gorkha – A 7 MW 'Chepe A Hydropower Project' is set to be built on the Chepe River in Gorkha. An electricity purchase agreement based on the 'take or pay' principle was signed between the Nepal Electricity Authority and the construction company Champawati Hydropower Company Pvt. Ltd. last February.

The project's estimated cost is NPR 1.30 billion. The construction company has indicated that 30% will come from equity, while 70% will be financed through loans from banks and financial institutions. The hydropower project will be constructed in Dudhpokhari of Lamjung and Siran Chok Rural Municipality of Gorkha. The preliminary environmental assessment of the project has already been approved.

The project, which will cost around NPR 185 million per megawatt, is expected to produce 41.37 gigawatts of electricity annually. The generated electricity will be purchased by the Authority at NPR 8.40 per unit for six months during the monsoon season and at NPR 4.80 per unit for six months during the winter season.

Champawati Hydropower aims to complete the project by 2022. According to company chairman Dr. Hariram Parajuli, technical work is progressing. He mentioned that the Chepe 'A' project, designed at around Q-415, is technically sound.

Senior Engineer Laxman Aryal, a director of the company, stated that Chepe 'A' is a model hydropower project both technically and economically. He added that the project will help achieve the government’s goal of energy self-sufficiency.

The project site is accessible year-round via a road reaching the power house and dam construction site. The power house is located in Pandewashi, Gorkha, and is 1 km away from Borang Khola, Lamjung (a bus stop area). Senior Engineer Rameshwar Lamichhane, another director, noted that the project’s favorable geographical and geological conditions, along with its proximity to road facilities, make construction easier.

A team of experienced engineers in the energy sector, including Dr. Hariram Parajuli, Tuka Prasad Neupane, Tilak Raj Bhattarai, Shyam Thapa, Rameshwar Lamichhane, and Laxman Aryal, from Champawati Hydropower Company Pvt. Ltd., is undertaking this project. The power house will be built at Kuindane, located at the confluence of Chepe (Kue River) and Chilli River in Siran Chok-2, Thalajung.

The electricity generated from this project will be connected to the Chippeti substation, which is 5 km away. Considering alternative projects, the National Transmission Grid Company is planning to install a transmission line targeting various hydropower projects in the Chepe River of Gorkha district. The company is preparing to install a transmission line with a 132 km substation in Kodomwari, Kerawari, Siran Chok-1, to facilitate the transmission of electricity generated from rivers in Gorkha and Lamjung districts.

"We are in discussions with the grid company, and efforts are underway to connect the electricity produced from the Chepe and Daraudi rivers to the national transmission line quickly," said Dr. Parajuli. "This will also reduce transmission losses. Once the substation is built, it will be easier to construct all hydropower projects on the upper reaches of rivers like Chepe and Daraudi."