Elaborating on the benefits of the electricity, Khadka said electricity supply will add comfort to tourists visiting the area and might eventually assist in extending their stay.According to Annapurna Conservation Area (ACAP) Lo Manthang's chief Santosh Serchan, the present installations will effectively address the demand of the locals which had remained unaddressed by the 29-KW micro-hydro project that ACAP had built a decade back.
"With the 70KW project, all the households will now be able to enjoy the benefits of electricity," said Serchan. "As this region experiences cold weather during most part of the year, it will be a relief for the locals to keep themselves warm with electric heating appliances," he said adding that such facilities will also help in boosting tourism in the area.
Mustang Village Development Committee and Chinese authorities had entered agreement in late February this year for constructing the power plant. According to Mustang's planning officer Jiwan Gyawali, the plant constructed at a height of 3800 meters has been constructed with a budget of Rs 10 million. The equipments and technicians required for the project were provided by the Chinese government.
"The project was scheduled to complete in a year, but it was completed three months before the deadline," informed Gyanwali. Chinese government had appointed Kinsed New Energy Technology, a Chinese firm, for building the project. With the project completed, Chinese authorities are making necessary preparations to hand it over to local authorities.
Meanwhile, the Chinese government has also agreed to increase the capacity of the plant from 70 KW to 100 KW. With the increased capacity, the plant will be able to supply electricity to other villages in the vicinity, Gyanwali informed.
Upper Mustang's Lo Manthang, Chonhup, Chosre and Surkhang VDCs consists of about 1200 households, of which only 400 are lighted by solar and micro hydro electricity projects, so far. There are three micro hydro electricity projects in Upper Mustang with a capacity of 29, 15 and 25 KWs. But they have been not sufficient to cater to local demand.
To ensure sustainability of the project, charges paid by locals as electricity bills will be used for maintaining and repairing the power plant.
Meanwhile, Asian Development Bank is also accessing demands for electricity in the area. It plans to support electricity project in the area to generate electricity for houses that have been left out by the existing electricity projects including the new China constructed solar power electricity.
As part of its 'Energy for All' scheme, ADB is collecting statistics of households without electricity in the Upper Mustang. "ADB's project will provide electricity to the households that have not been covered even by the new solar project," said Gyawali. "Process has already been initiated towards this end and we look forward to see entire Upper Mustang to be light up in the near future," he added.
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