Working on Trishuli Hydro Electric Project

Supervising the construction on the De-Sillting Tank.

Trishuli Hydropower Station is a peaking run-of-river hydropower station located at Trishuli bazaar of Nuwakot district in Nepal. The intake of the plant lies in Rasuwa district. The plant was constructed in 1976 with an installed capacity of 21 MW (7 units, 3 MW each). The plant has been overhauled in 1995 and upgraded to 24 MW (6 units, 3.5 MW each plus one unit of 3 MW). 

Penstocks and Power House at Trishuli

Desolating Tank

In small hydropower (SHP) projects, desilting tank is an important component, which protects the mechanical equipment specially turbine from the silt carried by the water conductor system. Desilting tanks are used in water treatment plants and hydropower channels to remove objectionable sediment of a specified size and quantity. 

I had the opportunity to work at this project between 1973-1975 during the construction of De-silting Tank. The plan was to divert the water from the downstream of barrage and hold it there in a De-Silting tank before allowing the water to go the balancing reservoir of the Project. 

Thus the silt accompanying water will not fill up the reservoir - the back bone of the Hydro station. The reoccurring dredging was hugely cost and time oriented.

De-Silting was a new Phenomena and Central Water commission, Govt of India took this as a pilot project. I was selected on deputation from Central Electricity Authority as an electrical engineer was required to maintain and supply Power to construction works and Project Colony.

The First project in Nepal was developed jointly by the Government of India and the Government of Nepal. The project cost was INR 140 million. The annual energy generation is 163 GWh.Nepal Electricity Authority, a government-run organization, owns and operates this plant. Another power station Devighat Hydropower Station is a cascade project to this power station.

Present status of Trishuli Basin Projects as it stands today: 

There are six operational hydropower projects along the Trishuli River and its major tributaries that total 81 megawatts (MW). In addition, seven hydropower

projects (total of 286 MW) are under construction and at least 23 hydropower projects are in the planning stage with survey licenses being issued by the Department of Electricity Development.