Reuters cited Nepal investment board official Ghanashyam Ojha as saying that the 750MW hydro power project is planned to be built on the West Seti river in northwest Nepal.
Although the project initially secured approval from a Nepal parliamentary panel, the state-owned Three Gorges International was due to receive permit from the Nepal’s investment board.
Some of the power generated from the project, which is expected to be complete by 2021-2022, will be given for free to locals and the rest will be sold to Nepal, officials told Reuters.
China Three Gorges is China’s hydropower developer and currently operates the hydropower plant at the Three Gorges on the Yangtze river.
Estimated to produce about 42,000MW of hydropower, Nepal currently generates 800MW, which is less than the demand of 1,400MW. The country is looking to tap hydropower to ease chronic power shortages in the region, prompting investment commitments from its two large neighbours – India and China.
While China announced plans in March to extend a $145m grant to upgrade a 114km road, which links the capital Kathmandu with the Tibetan border, as well as other infrastructure projects, two major Indian hydropower projects worth a combined $2.4bn were cleared by Nepal last year.
Image: Nepal is estimated to have 42,000MW of hydropower generation potential. Photo: courtesy of markuso/Freedigitalphotos.net.
