140 MW Tanahun Hydropower sees breakthrough of headrace tunnel

The under-construction 140-megawatt Tanahun Hydroelectricity Project witnessed a breakthrough of its headrace tunnel. The reservoir-based project utilizes water from the Seti River, flowing along the border of Rhishing Rural Municipality and Byas Municipality-5 in Tanahun.

Kulman Ghising, the managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), and Gopal Prasad Sigdel, the secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, jointly initiated the detonation for the tunnel breakthrough today.

This tunnel, part of Package-2 of the project, spans 1,493 meters from its intake point. With a diameter of 7.4 meters, the tunnel will be lined with concrete. The water supplied through the tunnel will be collected in an underground powerhouse through a 213-meter penstock.

During the ‘tunnel breakthrough ceremony’ held today, Secretary Sigdel expressed satisfaction with the project’s progress, which has exceeded expectations. He urged all bodies concerned to ensure timely construction of the main dam site.