Arun III

Last updated

Arun III is a hydro-electric project under construction on the Arun River in Sankhuwasabha District of Province 1, Nepal. The project is of 900 megawatts capacity and will be the largest hydropower plant in South Asia. It is constructed by SJVN Arun III Power Development Company Private Limited, a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN Ltd. [1] [2]

Contents

The estimated cost is US$1.6 billion including $156 million to develop the transmission line. It will generate about 4,018.87 million units of electricity annually. In February 2020, financial closure was done by the governments of India and Nepal. The project is constructed on a build-own-operate and transfer (BOOT) basis. SJVN will operate the plant for 30 years and then transfer the ownership to the Nepal government. During 30 years of operation, 21.9% of power will be provided to Nepal free of cost. The project's construction is expected to generate 3,000 jobs in Nepal and India. [3]

Project details

The project consists of a 70m high, 466m wide concrete gravity dam across the Arun River which will be able to store 13.94 million cubic meters of water. The dam will have six (now only five) sluice gates. There will be four underground desilting basins (they have since been removed from the proposal) having a length of 420m, a width of 16m and a height of 24m each. A 9.5m diameter tunnel having length of 11.74 km followed by 9.5m diameter two steel-lined pressure shafts and four penstocks will convey the flow to the powerhouse. The tailrace tunnel is 192m long and has a diameter of 10m. Four vertical Francis turbine units of 225MW each will be housed in an underground powerhouse. The gross head is 308m and the design net head is 286.21m. The power evacuation will be done via a 300 km-long, 400kV transmission line to India. It will be routed from Diding to Dhalkebar, Nepal, and finally to Muzzafarpur, India. [3]

The civil contractor is Jaiprakash Associates. The hydro-mechanical contractor is Om Metals. The electro-mechanical contractor is BHEL. Total Management Services will monitor the environmental aspects. 269 families will be affected by the project construction, and they will be compensated by being provided with 30 units of electricity each free of cost every month. [3]

History

The project was formed by Nepal Government in 1992. However, NGOs, environmental activists and individuals worried against rampant privatization affecting the culture and natural beauty of the Arun valley expressed concerns. There were also fears that this project was inappropriately large and would lead to further increases in the price of electricity. There was also a debate for the road to the project area concerning deforestation and habitat fragmentation. In 1995, the World Bank decided to withdraw their support, effectively cancelling the project. [4]

In November 2014, the project resurfaced and a Project Development Agreement was signed. The surplus power from the project will be exported to India from Dhalkebar, Nepal to Muzaffarpur, Bihar. In 2017, the cabinet of India approved the project for construction. [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bakun Dam</span> Dam in Kapit, Sarawak, Malaysia

The Bakun Dam is an embankment dam located in Belaga District, Kapit Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, on the Balui River, a tributary or source of the Rajang River and some sixty kilometres east of Belaga. As part of the project, the second tallest concrete-faced rockfill dam in the world would be built. It would generate 2,400 megawatts (MW) of electricity once completed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarbela Dam</span> Dam in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan

Tarbela Dam is an earth-filled dam along the Indus River in Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. It is located mainly in the Haripur and Swabi District Tehsil Ghazi and Topi

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yeywa Dam</span> Hydropower station in Myanmar

The Yeywa Hydropower Station, located on the Myitnge River, 52 kilometres (32 mi) southeast of Mandalay city, at Yeywa village in Kyaukse Township, Mandalay Region in central Myanmar, is the country's first roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dam, and the site of a 790-megawatt (1,060,000 hp) hydroelectric power plant, the largest in the country.

The Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station is a 600 MW hydroelectric power project under construction in Uganda. When completed, it will be the largest power-generating installation in the country.

Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station is a 183.2 megawatts (245,700 hp) hydroelectric power station commissioned on 21 March 2019 in Uganda. Construction of this dam began in April 2015 and was completed in January 2019. Commercial operations began on 21 March 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Kotmale Dam</span> Dam in Talawakele, Nuwara Eliya

The Upper Kotmale Dam is located in Talawakele, within the Nuwara Eliya District, in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. The dam feeds the third largest hydroelectric power station in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrind Hydropower Plant</span> Hydroelectric power station in Pakistan

Patrind Hydropower Plant is a run-of-the-river, high head project of 110 metres (360 ft), located on Kunhar River near Patrind Village of Mansehra District, right on the border of Abbottabad District of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province and Muzaffarabad city of Azad Kashmir, Pakistan. It is approximately 138 kilometres (86 mi) from Rawalpindi and Islamabad and about 76 kilometres (47 mi) from Abbottabad city.

The Dasu Dam is a large hydroelectric gravity dam currently under construction on the Indus River near Dasu in Kohistan District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan. It is developed by Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda), as a key component of the company's Water Vision 2025. The project was started in 2019 but faced a delay due to funds and land acquisition disputes. Work resumed in 2020 after land acquisition and arrangements of funding facility, the World Bank agreed to contribute $700 million of the $4.2 billion as the government of Imran Khan decided to proceed ahead with the construction of the project, as part of the WAPDAs vision 2025.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kulekhani Reservoir</span> Dam in Kulekhani, Makwanpur District, Narayani Zone

The Kulekhani Dam is a rock-fill dam on the Kulekhani River near Kulekhani in the Indrasarowar Rural Municipality of Makwanpur District in Bagmati Province, Nepal. The primary purpose of the dam is hydroelectric power generation and it supports the 60 MW Kulekhani I, 32 MW Kulekhani II and 14 MW Kulekhani III Hydropower Stations. Construction began in 1977 and Kulekhani I was commissioned in 1982. Kulekhani II was commissioned in 1986 and a third power station, the 14 MW Kulekhani III was expected to be commissioned in May 2015 but was delayed due to issues with the builder. The US$117.84 million project received funding from the World Bank, Kuwait Fund, UNDP, Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund and OPEC Fund. It is owned by Nepal Electricity Authority.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project</span> Dam in Gaurishankar Conservation Area, Dolakha District

The Upper Tamakoshi Hydroelectric Project is a 456 MW peaking run-of-the-river hydroelectric project in Nepal. It is the largest hydroelectric project in Nepal, operating since July 2021. It is sited on the Tamakoshi River, a tributary of the Sapt Koshi river, near the Nepal–Tibet border.

The Tapovan Vishnugad Hydropower Plant is a 520 MW run-of-river hydroelectric project being constructed on Dhauliganga River in Chamoli District of Uttarakhand, India. The plant is expected to generate over 2.5 TWh of electricity annually.

Nenskra Hydro Power Plant is a proposed hydroelectric power station to be located on the southern slopes of the Central Caucasus mountains in Svaneti, Georgia.

Jorethang Loop Hydroelectric project is a 96 megawatts (129,000 hp), run-of-the-river hydroelectric power station on the Rangit river in South Sikkim district of Sikkim state in India. The dam is located near village Piple and power station is located about 13 km downstream near village Majhitar. Dans Energy Private Limited was awarded contract for construction of the project. The project was officially inaugurated on 29 October 2015. The project was built at a cost of Rs 1,182 crores.

Daraundi A Hydropower Station is a 6 MW run-of-river hydro-electric plant located on the Daraundi River in the Gorkha District of Nepal.

Upper Mai-C Hydropower Station is a 6.1 MW run-of-the-river hydro-electric plant located in Ilam District of Nepal. It is powered by water from the Mai Khola.

Kabeli B1 Hydropower Station is a 25 MW run-of-river hydro-electric plant located in Panchthar District of Nepal. The promoter and operator, with a 20% share, is Arun Kabeli Power Limited (AKPL), a subsidiary of Arun Valley Group.

Rudi A Hydropower Station is a run-of-river hydro-electric plant located in the Kaski District of Nepal that came into operation in 2019. The flow from the Rudi River is used to generate 8.8 MW electricity.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pamba Dam</span> Dam in Kerala, India

Pamba Dam is a gravity dam built on the Pamba river in the Ranni forest area of Seethathodu panchayat in Pathanamthitta district of Kerala, India. It was built in 1967 as part of the Sabarigiri Hydroelectric Project. Sabarigiri Hydro Electric Project (IHEP) is the second largest hydro electric project in Kerala. Pamba dam's reservoir is connected to the nearby Kakki dam's reservoir by a 3.21 km (1.99 mi) long underground tunnel. The dam is 281 m (922 ft) long and 57.2 m (188 ft) high and is located at an elevation of 981.45 m (3,220.0 ft) above sea level. The dam is located in a forest area adjacent to the Periyar National Park. The water stored in the Pamba and Kakki dams is conveyed to the Sabarigiri powerhouse through penstock pipes. The dam was commissioned in 1967.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SJVN</span> Indian power generation company

SJVN, formerly known as Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, is an Indian public sector undertaking involved in hydroelectric power generation and transmission. It was incorporated in 1988 as Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation, a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Himachal Pradesh. The company has a total operating hydropower capacity of 1912 MW through its two hydropower plants—Nathpa Jhakri and Rampur. In addition, it has an installed capacity of 97.6 MW of wind power and 81.9 MW of solar power.

References

  1. ↑ "Arun 3 HEP". Arun 3 HEP. Archived from the original on June 30, 2019. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Arun-III hydroelectric power project, Sankhuwasabha, Nepal" . Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  3. 1 2 3 "Arun – III Hydropower Project". Power Technology. Retrieved 2022-07-28.
  4. ↑ Mahat, Ram. "The Loss of Arun III" (PDF). Nepal Study Center. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. ↑ "Indian PM Modi likely to visit Nepal this month".

27°33′N85°11′E / 27.550°N 85.183°E / 27.550; 85.183

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.