Phukot Karnali project will impact 747 households: EIA Report

The Phukot Karnali Hydropower Project (480 MW), which is proposed to be built in Kalikot district of Karnali Province, is projected to impact 747 households, according to the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report of the project.

According to the report, the project will affect the land of 539 households, houses along with the land of 150 households, and the houses of 103 households. Additionally, two suspension bridges, four cremation sites, a martyr's park, a temple, and a piped water system with one tap will also be impacted by the project.

Nepal and India signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the development of the Phukot Karnali project on July 1, during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to India. As per the MoU, NHPC Ltd of India and Vidyut Utpadan Company Ltd (VUCL) of Nepal will form a joint venture company to develop the project, both of which are government-owned entities.

India’s cabinet recently approved a proposal to purchase 10,000 MW of hydropower from Nepal over the next decade. The southern neighbor is currently importing 632 MW from India.  The EIA report states that the project will affect four wards of Sanni Tribeni Rural Municipality, one ward of Khandachakra Municipality, four wards of Raskot Municipality, and seven wards of Pachal Jharan Rural Municipality.

The estimated cost of the semi-reservoir project, which will be built on the Karnali River, is Rs 92.30bn. The project’s total capacity is 480 MW, including 6 MW generated from the plant at the base of the dam through environmental release. The headworks site is located 1.5 km downstream from the confluence of the Karnali and Sanigad rivers.

The main civil structures of the project consist of two diversion tunnels, one sediment bypass tunnel, roller compacted concrete (RCC) dam, intake, upstream and downstream coffer dams, two headrace tunnels, two surge tunnels, two pressure shafts/tunnels, underground powerhouse cavern, underground transformer cavern and two tailrace tunnels. The project's reservoir will extend 11 km along the river from the dam to Lapha Bagar. Moreover, its underground powerhouse will feature six units of Francis turbines-generator-transformer sets, each with a generating capacity of 79 MW. The power generated by the project will be connected to the national grid through a substation at Regil by building a 2.3 km 400 kV double circuit transmission line.

According to the EIA, the project has allocated 0.47 percent of its total cost for the implementation of environmental management programs. Similarly, 0.27 percent of the project’s budget will be dedicated to compensation planting and the maintenance of these plants for a period of five years. Additionally, the project plans to invest Rs 510m in the execution of social infrastructure development programs and initiatives aimed at socio-economic upliftment.

The project is expected to produce 1,703.8 GWh of energy annually during the wet season, 481.05 GWh during peak hours of the dry season, and 263.75 GWh during off-peak hours of the dry season. NHPC Ltd is also involved in the construction of the West Seti (750 MW) and SR-6 (450 MW) projects in far-western Nepal.