Koshi Province’s hydropower generation capacity reaches 787 MW

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Nov. 22: Koshi Province has recorded a total electricity generation capacity of 787.75 megawatts (MW) from its currently operating hydropower projects, according to the Nepal Rastra Bank’s Provincial Economic Activities Study Report 2024/25. The report highlights that 10 new hydropower projects were completed in the province in the last fiscal year alone, contributing 134.2 MW to the national grid.

Among the districts, Solukhumbu remains the largest contributor to provincial hydropower production. With a cumulative generation capacity of 257.43 MW, it stands as the top hydropower-producing district in Koshi Province. The study also outlines the distribution of hydropower projects across the province. 

Ilam has the highest number with 17 projects, followed by Sankhuwasabha with 10, Solukhumbu with 8, and Panchthar and Taplejung with 7 each. 

Similarly, there are 5 hydropower projects in Panchthar, 3 each in Okhaldhunga, Khotang and Bhojpur, 1 in Tehrathum, and 1 each in Jhapa and Morang, according to the report.

Industrial capacity utilisation drops to 50.80%

According to the report, the average capacity utilisation of the industries included in the sample selection of this province was 50.80 per cent in the last fiscal year 2024/25.  In the fiscal year 2023/24, the average capacity utilisation of the industries was 52.59 per cent.

According to the product produced, the capacity utilisation of the tire and tube manufacturing industry in the fiscal year 2024/25 was the highest at 90.70 per cent, while the capacity utilisation of the vegetable ghee manufacturing industry was the lowest at 4.4 per cent.

Among the industries included in this study in the fiscal year 2024/25, the production of soybean oil increased the most by 1449 per cent, while the production of household metal goods decreased the most by 74.3 per cent.

In the 43 industries of the province included in this study, 16,958 workers were employed in the last fiscal year 2023/24, while in the fiscal year 2024/25, that figure was 17,323.  

The workers employed in the industries is 2.21 per cent higher in the last fiscal year as compared to previous fiscal year.

According to the report, the total industrial credit disbursement by the Banks and Financial Institutions increased by 15.03 per cent to Rs. 160 billion in mid-July 2025 compared to mid-July 2024.

In the same period of the previous fiscal year, this credit had increased by 8.11 per cent.

According to the National Statistics Office, the economic growth rate of Koshi Province is estimated to be 3.34 per cent in the fiscal year 2024/25. 

The contribution of agriculture, industry and services sectors to the GDP of this province is estimated to be 34.05 per cent, 16.10 per cent and 49.85 per cent respectively.

Similarly, an average occupancy 

rate of the sample hotels in this province in the fiscal year 

2024/25 is 42.53 per cent, which is an increase of 5.14 per cent compared to the previous year. 

In the previous fiscal year 2023/24, the average occupancy rate of these hotels was 40.45 per cent.

According to the report, the number of domestic tourists in selected hotels increased by 10.27 per cent in the fiscal year 2024/25.

In the same period of the previous fiscal year, such number increased by 15.93 per cent.

The overall number of flights in Koshi Province has decreased by 0.6 per cent in the fiscal year 2024/25 compared to the fiscal year 2023/24.