United Mewa Khola Hydropower Project (50 MW) in Final Stage of Construction

The United Mewa Khola Hydropower Project, located in Taplejung’s Mewa Khola, is nearing completion and is expected to start electricity production from the upcoming Chaitra. This 50 MW project, situated in Meringden Rural Municipality, is in its final stages of construction. The project spans across wards 3, 4, and 5 of the municipality, with nearly 99 percent of the work completed, according to the project’s management.

The powerhouse construction has been completed, and various civil engineering tasks have been finalized. The water diversion tunnel, which is approximately 4,800 meters long, has also been built.

Although construction began in Bhadra 2078 BS and was initially scheduled to be completed by Ashoj 2081 BS, there have been delays. The goal now is to connect the project to the national transmission line by Chaitra 15.

The project’s cost is estimated at Rs.9 billion. A consortium led by Citizens Bank International Ltd. has signed a co-financing agreement, including Kumari Bank, Mega Bank Nepal, Nepal Infrastructure Bank, Siddhartha Bank, Nepal SBI Bank, and Civil Bank. The total loan investment amounts to Rs. 7 billion, comprising Rs. 6.75 billion in term loans and Rs. 250 million in working capital loans.

The company is preparing to issue shares in the Initial Public Offering (IPO). Citizens Capital Ltd. has been appointed as the sales manager to facilitate the IPO issuance.

Once operational, the project is expected to produce 97.424 gigawatt-hours of electricity in the winter and 205.587 gigawatt-hours during the rainy season, totaling an annual output of 303.011 gigawatt-hours.

The generated electricity will be connected to the substation at Dhungesanghu under the Koshi Corridor of the Nepal Electricity Authority.