Upper Thulokhola Hydropower Project Connected to National Grid After Successful Testing

Electricity produced from the 22.5 megawatt Upper Thulokhola Hydropower Project has officially been connected to Nepal’s national electricity system after completing successful testing.

The project, developed by Thulokhola Hydropower Limited in Raghuganga Rural Municipality–7, has finished construction of its main infrastructure, installation of equipment, and internal testing procedures. Following these preparations, the generated electricity has now been supplied to the central transmission line.

According to project chief Shiva Sagar Yadav, the trial transmission process began at 6:00 PM on Falgun 29. After five days of testing carried out in coordination with the technical team of the Nepal Electricity Authority, the project successfully connected electricity to the national grid.

He stated that the project will begin commercial power generation within 15 days following the successful completion of the testing phase.

Currently, the hydropower plant is generating around 13.86 megawatts of electricity during the dry season. Before initiating trial production, the project completed major construction works including the dam, powerhouse, pipelines, transmission infrastructure, and internal testing of equipment.

Construction of the project began in BS 2080, although development faced challenges due to the remote and geographically difficult location of the site. Major infrastructure built under the project includes a dam, desander (sedimentation basin), 2,900 meters of main pipeline, a 300-meter penstock pipeline, and a powerhouse constructed at Sugurlathala.

Project engineer Sanjeev Neupane explained that a switchyard has also been constructed within the powerhouse area, which operates with two turbine units to generate electricity.

The hydropower project is designed as a run-of-the-river system, which means it generates electricity using the natural flow of the river rather than large water storage reservoirs.

To connect the generated electricity to the national system, a six-kilometer 132 kV transmission line supported by 14 towers has been constructed from the powerhouse tailrace area to Bandi. From there, the electricity is integrated into the central grid through the Dana‑Khurkot 220 kV Transmission Line.

The transmission infrastructure is also linked with other nearby hydropower projects including the Chhimkhola‑Rahughat‑Mangale Hydropower Project. The total distance of the transmission line from the powerhouse tail end to Tilkenichaur is approximately 23.5 kilometers.

The total estimated investment for the project stands at Rs 5.14 billion. Around 70 percent of the financing has been provided as loans by financial institutions including Machhapuchchhre Bank, Agricultural Development Bank, and other lenders.

In terms of equity structure, 10 percent of the investment comes from project promoters, while the remaining 20 percent will be raised through public share issuance.

During construction, transporting heavy equipment to the remote project site proved challenging. Difficulties were caused by road upgrading work along the Beni–project access road and landslides in the Malang area during the monsoon season.

The Rahughat river basin already hosts several hydropower developments. Among them, the Upper Rahughat Hydropower Project and the Chhimkhola-Rahughat-Mangale project are already operational.

Similarly, the Thulokhola Hydropower Project, built by Sanyukta Urja Limited, began commercial electricity generation last Bhadra.

Meanwhile, the Rahughat Hydropower Project, promoted by Raghuganga Hydropower Limited, is currently in the final stage of construction.

With the addition of electricity from the Upper Thulokhola project, Nepal’s hydropower sector continues to expand, contributing to increased domestic power generation and strengthening the country’s national energy supply.