KATHMANDU, Jan 3: The Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project (RHP) in Rasuwa that was hit by flood of July 2025 in Bhotekoshi River has now resumed its operation at 61 percent of its actual production capacity.
With the restoration of partial electricity production, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has been relieved in management of power supply during this winter season. According to the RHP, it has reconnected 68 MW of electricity to the national grid, with an additional generation of 31 MW of electricity recently.
Last month, the project started generating 37 MW of electricity after remaining closed completely for five months. “Of the 111 MW, we have targeted to produce the remaining 43 MW of electricity from June 2026,” said Satya Ram Jyakhwa, executive director of the Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company.
Power produced from Hewakhola Hydel Project 'A' connected to na...
The RHP was built under the leadership of Chilime Hydropower Company, a subsidiary of the NEA, came into operation on December 31, 2024. However, the project sustained major damage to its dam and headworks after a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (GLOF) from the Lhende River in Tibet on July 8, 2025, after six months of its commercial production.
The flood had swept away machines and equipment such as logs, debris-blocking systems, gates, and other components in the headworks area. Buildings around the headworks were buried under more than two meters of sludge, large boulders had washed in, and structures built to divert water into the tunnel were damaged. The tailrace, used to discharge water after generation, was filled, submerging the turbine floor completely.
On the day of the disaster, 22 workers at the hydropower site were rescued by an army helicopter from the headworks and residential areas. The staff housing area was entirely swept away. The landslide triggered by the flood also blocked several sections of the main road from Syafrubesi to the project site.
According to the RHP, two out of three of its damaged turbines have been repaired. Likewise, the maintenance of the canal and the main dam of the project have been completed.
Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate 613.87 million units of electricity annually, bringing in an estimated Rs 3.25 billion in yearly revenue for the company, as per the NEA.
