Sanjen Hydropower Project starts commercial production

KATHMANDU, DECEMBER 17 : The 42.5 MW Sanjen Hydropower Project, developed by Sanjen Hydroelectric Company Limited, a subsidiary of Chilime Hydropower Company Limited, has successfully commenced commercial electricity supply to the national grid.

Located in Aama Chhodingmo-5, Rasuwa district, the project began transmitting power yesterday evening after completing all necessary technical and operational tests. The project had been undergoing test production from its first unit since November 23.

Rabin Koirala, Sub-Engineer of the project, confirmed that the electricity generated has now been commercially fed into the National Transmission Line.

The Sanjen (Upper) Hydropower Project, one of two semi-reservoir projects built under the cascade model, had already begun supplying electricity to the national grid on a commercial basis from October 8, 2023, via an 11-kV emergency transmission line. For this purpose, the company constructed an eight-kilometre-long, 11 kV double-circuit transmission line and a 132/11 kV substation. Due to transmission line capacity constraints, approximately 8.5 MW of power was being sold as an alternative through the Trishuli 66-kV Transmission Line.

The construction of both Sanjen and Sanjen (Upper) projects faced significant delays due to challenges such as the 2015 Gorkha Earthquake, the COVID-19 pandemic, border blockades, and the unavailability of national transmission lines. Despite these hurdles, the recent completion of the Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV Transmission Line enabled the company to successfully connect the projects to the national grid.

The company highlights Sanjen as a model project among semi-reservoir hydropower initiatives in Nepal. Notably, a picking pond with a capacity of 44,000 cubic meters has been constructed, capable of supplying electricity to the national grid for up to 70 minutes during peak demand.

Sanjen is also the first cascade project in Nepal where the lower project can continue generating electricity even during maintenance of the upper project. This has been achieved by implementing state-of-the-art technology, introduced as a model solution in Nepal. The company believes this innovation will allow other cascade projects to reduce dependency on upper project operations in the future.

The use of advanced technological equipment, sourced from Germany, is expected to provide significant financial benefits by minimizing maintenance downtime and preventing power generation losses.

The commercial operation of the Sanjen Hydropower Project is anticipated to help mitigate power supply imbalances during the winter months when electricity demand is high, thereby contributing to a more stable and reliable energy supply.