National Hydroelectric Power Corporation Limited (NHPC) and Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL),Nepal signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for development of the Phukot Karnali hydro electric project with a capacity of 480 MW in Nepal. Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL), Nepal will be responsible to develop, build, own and operate large-scale hydropower projects in public-private partnership model in Nepal. Signing of this MOU is a landmark step towards India-Nepal’s joint vision on power sector cooperation.
The project will use the flow from the Karnali River for power generation and the generated power will be fed into the integrated power system of Nepal. The installed capacity of the project shall be 480 MW with average annual generation of about 2,448 GWh. The key features of the project are a 109 metre high RCC dam and an underground power house where the 6 turbines of 79 MW each shall be housed. Additionally, to utilise minimum environmental release one surface power house of 6 MW capacity with two machines of 3 MW each is also planned. This project is conceived as a peaking run-of-river (PRoR) type scheme.
In May 2023, NHPC released a tender for an engineering, procurement, and construction contract for establishing a 75 MW capacity ISTS-connected solar power project anywhere in India. The for sale of energy through power exchange, as well as a comprehensive operation and maintenance contract for a period of five years.
In April 2023, NHPC Limited requested domestic proposals to establish a 300 MW floating solar power plant in Odisha on a turnkey basis. The facility will be built near the Rengali Reservoir in the Angul area. The engineering, procurement, and construction completion period is 21 months.
