Middle Mewa Hydropower Project

Project Brief

Located at a distance of 700 Km northeast of Kathmandu, Middle Mewa Hydropower project is one of the very few Peaking Run of River (PROR) type projects in Nepal. The project is proposed in Mewa river in Taplejung District of eastern Nepal. The project shall utilize the design discharge of 12.56 m3/s to generate 73.5 MW of electricity with daily peaking of 6 hours. The project is accessible through a 32 km of access road from Banande Bazar located at Mechi Highway. After the award of civil contract on January 2020, mobilization of civil works contractor commenced. Infrastructure works and site enabling works has been completed and construction works are ongoing in a full-fledged manner from multiple work fronts.

Salient Features

• Installed capacity: 73.5 MW
• Project Location: Mikhwa Khola & Meringden Rural
• Municipality, Taplejung district, Province - 1
• Type of Scheme: Peaking Run-of-River (PRoR)
• Gross Head: 475 m
• Net Rated Head: 464.5 m
• Design Discharge: 19.02 m3/s
• Net Annual Energy: 432.31 GWh
• Headrace tunnel: 5430 m
• Power Evacuation to: Dhungesanghu/ Hangpang Substation (Approx. 14 km from Powerhouse)

Project Studies and Approval

• Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) study report approved, Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) study is being done for additional power generation
• Detail Engineering Design substantially completed and preparation of construction drawings ongoing concurrently
• Sediment sampling and laboratory analysis completed
• Physical modeling Headworks structures completed and final report preparation ongoing
• Detail Design of Transmission line for power evacuation is completed, tendering process is being done for the construction of transmission line
• Tender process for the award of contract for hydromechanical works is completed
• Tender process for the award of contract for electromechanical works is completed
  Physical Works

Physical Works

• All the site enabling works and supporting infrastructure is completed
• 33kV transmission line for construction power supply is completed
• Civil works contractor mobilization commenced in January 2020; Construction works advancing from different work fronts
• Diversion tunnel completed and river diversion commenced
• Dam Excavation work is completed
• Slope protection work is completed at Settling basin area
• HRT Inlet portal excavation is completed
• Adit-1, Adit-2, Adit-3, Adit-4 and Upper Pressure Tunnel completed
• Excavation of Headrace Tunnel ongoing from Adit-1 and Adit-2
• At vertical shafts 1 and 2, excavation works are completed
• Excavation of Powerhouse cavern is completed
• Tailrace tunnel excavation work is ongoing

Key Milestone

November 2019

Financial closure was concluded in November 2019 with Himalayan Bank Ltd. as a lead bank, Nepal Infrastructure Bank Ltd. as a Co-lead bank and Kumari Bank Ltd., Nepal SBI Bank Ltd., NCC Bank Ltd., and Sanima Bank Ltd. as member banks.

October 2023 

The project is advancing in a full-fledged manner to meet the target project commissioning date of October 2023.