Sanjen hydropower project officially connected to national grid

KATHMANDU: The electricity generated by Sanjen Hydropower Project, constructed by Sanjen Hydropower Company Limited, a subsidiary of Chilime Hydropower, has been commercially connected to the national grid. After completing all technical tests and related works, the electricity from the project began flowing into the system from Monday evening. The project had been conducting trial production since Mangsir 8 (November 24). Located in Aamachodingmo-5 of Rasuwa, the project has a capacity of 42.5 megawatts.

The first unit of electricity generation began after completing all technical tests on Mangsir 8. Sub-Engineer Rabin Koirala of the project informed that the produced electricity has been commercially supplied to the national transmission line from Monday.

Among the two semi-reservoir projects built under the “Cascade Model”, the Sanjgen Upper Hydropower Project was completed by the end of Bhadra 2080 (September 2023) and has been supplying electricity to the national grid since Asoj 21, 2080 (October 8, 2023).

The project had been commercially transmitting electricity through an **11 kV emergency transmission line**. To facilitate power flow, the company itself constructed an **8 km double circuit 11 kV transmission line** and a **132/11 kV substation**.

Due to capacity limitations in the *Chilime-Trishuli 66 kV transmission line*, about **8.5 MW** of electricity had been sold alternatively. The project office noted that both *Sanjgen* and *Sanjgen Upper* projects were delayed due to the **2015 earthquake**, **COVID-19 pandemic**, blockades, and the unavailability of the national transmission line.

The company reported that with the recent completion of the *Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV transmission line*, it has successfully transmitted the electricity generated from these projects to the national grid.

The company described Sanjen as a model project among the semi-reservoir-type projects under construction in Nepal. A “peaking pond” with a storage capacity of 44,000 cubic meters has been constructed at the dam site of Sanjgen Upper Hydropower Project, enabling the national power system to operate smoothly for 70 minutes.

The project’s CEO, Arpan Bahadur Singh, stated that the water stored in the pond will facilitate additional electricity production during evening hours, significantly contributing to the national power grid. The peaking pond also enables maintenance work and the operation of the powerhouse during “emergency breakdowns”.

Among cascade projects in Nepal, Sanjen Upper is the country’s first project where special technology has been installed, allowing the lower project to continue generating electricity even when maintenance is being performed on the upper project. This innovative technology, introduced for the first time as a model in Nepal, can be adopted by other cascade projects in the future to reduce dependency on upper projects.

The use of advanced technology equipment, built in Germany, will help the company avoid economic losses caused by project maintenance. Due to this feature, Kathmandu University has also adopted this project as a model for its laboratory operations.

As a model cascade project developed in Nepal, this initiative is expected to serve as a practical research and study platform for students studying hydropower development, renewable energy, hydrology, and sustainable development.

With the commercial production of the 42.5 MW Sanjgen Hydropower Project, the company believes it will help address the system imbalance during the winter months when electricity demand is higher.