By Our Correspondent
Beni, May 16: The electricity generated from the private sector-invested Mristi Khola Hydropower Project in Annapurna Rural Municipality-4 of Myagdi has been connected to the national grid since Thursday.
The project has stated that the electricity generated from the project will be commercially produced after being tested for 15 days.
The 42-MW Mristi Khola hydropower project constructed by the Mountain Energy Nepal had linked its electricity to the national grid through the substation at Annapurna Rural Municipality-3 Dana.
According to Diwakar Khadka, a residential engineer at the Mristi Khola Hydropower Project, the electricity generated from all the three units of 14 MW each is connected to the central system.
Khadka said, "We have operated all the units of the project for testing." A technical team of Nepal Electricity Authority had come to test production and connect to the substation.
Mountain Energy has completed the project at a cost of Rs. 134.3 million per megawatt.
The company has claimed that it is
the largest hydropower project ever completed by the private sector with domestic investment.
Nepal Investment Bank, Hydro Electricity Investment and Development Company Nepal, Laxmi Bank, Siddhartha Bank and Ace Development Bank have invested in the project under the leadership of Nabil Bank.
Business houses, including Bhatbhateni Group, IME Group, Kia Motors and City Money Express have invested in the project.
Although the project, which started construction on June 13, 2016, should have been connected to the system earlier, it was affected due to the delay in construction of transmission line, natural calamity, COVID-19 and other reasons.
According to Nisha Rijal, Information Officer of the Department of Electricity Development, the license number 53 was obtained by Robert Energy on November 6, 2011 for the construction.
According to the promoter, the project is about to start power generation after Robert Energy was later taken over by Mountain Energy.
The project has been delayed due to slow progress in construction of 220 kV Kaligandaki Corridor Transmission Line and Dana substation by Nepal Electricity Authority.
About 49 megawatt of electricity will be generated from Myagdi district after Mristi begins commercial production.
Earlier, electricity was being generated from 2 MW Tatopani Small Hydropower Project and 5 MW Ghalemdi Hydropower Project in Narchyang.
A four km transmission line of 132kV capacity connecting Beshigaun of Narchyang to the 220kV substation at Dana was successfully tested only a few days ago.