Decreasing snow in mountains affecting power production at Marsyangdi hydropower project

 By Amarraj Naharki, Tanahun, Apr. 28: While the melting mountain is more visible in the region, electricity production has declined in Marsyangdi Hydropower due to reduced flow in the Marsyangdi River. Masryangdi is a river flowing from the Himalayas.

 In the absence of snow in the mountains, the electricity generation of the Marsyangdi Hydropower station in Abukhaireni Rural Municipality-4, Tanahun has gone down significantly.

 Due to climate change, mountains in the region lack snow and as a consequence water flow on rivers has also declined, said chief of the station Badri Phuyal.

 Mountains are now bare as opposed to the snow-capped panoramic view, he said, adding, “Reason for the lack of sufficient snow in the mountains this year is no substantial rainfall in winter. And reduced snow accumulation has been associated with lower water flows in rivulets, waterfalls and streams that meet with Marsyangdi River.”

 Despite the onset of summer season, the amount of water in Marsyangdi has reduced by half, he added.

 River not having enough water has affected the production of the hydropower project, said Phuyal.

According to him, the demand for electricity is high in the morning (5 am-10 am) and evening (5pm-10 pm).

 Considering this, river water is accumulated in the reserve tank during the daytime, so that the electricity could be produced at full capacity during peak hours.

 He however said the project is generating less electricity than its capacity. 

The 1 project can daily produce more than 10 units of electricity, he added.

 Phuyal said the electricity production of the hydropower project gradually increases after the onset of summer due to melting snow and rainfalls.

 “However, due to reduced flow of water in the river, the hydropower is currently generating around 40 megawatts of electricity in the daytime. During the peak hour, up to 69 megawatts of electricity is being produced from three units,” Phuyal said.

 He said, one unit could produce 23 megawatts of electricity.  

 The electricity produced from the hydropower project is connected to the national transmission line from Bharatpur, Chitwan through the station in Kathmandu.

 Since electricity production goes down significantly during the dry season, Nepal Electricity Authority is forced to import electricity from India.