Agreement signed to study hydropower projects in Mugu

By Siraj Khan, Nepalgunj, April 29: An agreement has been signed for the study of two large hydropower projects at Mugu, a remote hilly district, in Karnali Province. 

A contract has been signed with Germany’s Tractebel Engineering GmbH Nepal Branch for detailed engineering, and environmental-social studies of 306 megawatts (MW) Upper Mugu Karnali Hydropower project and 135 MW Namlan Khola hydropower project. 

Prawin Aryal, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Golyan Group's Energy Division, said that Elevate Energy Private Limited under Golyan Group’s Energy Business and Apollo Energy Private Limited have promoted power projects, Upper Mugu Karnali and Namlan River, as semi-reservoir projects. 

According to him, Upper Mugu Karnali lies at Karmarong Rural Municipality of Mugu district of Karnali Province and Namlan Khola Hydropower Project lies at Chhayanath Rara Municipality of Mugu district. 

The agreement has been signed between Akshay Golyan, Managing Director of Golyan Group, Prabin Aryal, CEO of Golyan Group, and Carsten Guntermann

Regional Manager Nepal of Tractebel Engineering GmbH Nepal Branch. 

CEO Aryal said that Golyan Group has received technical assistance from the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation (DFC) to study these two projects. 

According to Aryal, Tractbel, which has completed a detailed study and design of the 1,200 MW Budhigandaki reservoir in Nepal, has agreed to complete the detailed study, environmental impact assessment, and detailed engineering of these two projects within the next 20 months.

Tractbel is one of the globally renowned engineering consulting companies for the study of hydropower projects and has completed work on various hydropower projects in Nepal. 

Golyan Group has been earning more than 400 million dollars yearly and has more than five thousand staff. 

Chandra Bhan Yadav, Head of the Banke’s project said that Golyan Group has already produced 10 MW of solar power in Banke, that is, connected to the national transmission line, while, another 10 MW is in the final stages of production.