Ramesh Lamsal

Kathmandu, Oct 13 :  The government-owned Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Ltd (HIDCL) China's Power China are together going to construct two reservoir-type hydroelectricity projects. The total cost of the two projects is more than Rs 200 billion.

A memorandum of understanding to this effect was reached here today in course of Chinese President Xi Jinping's two-day state visit to Nepal.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Barsha Man Pun said the two projects include the 762-Megawatts-capacity Tamor Project and the 157-Megawatts-capacity Madikhola Project. The Tamor Project, a project of strategic importance, is located in Province 1 and the Madikhola Project is located in Rolpa of Province 5.

In the proposal presented to Investment Board Nepal, HIDCL and Power China had proposed various models for the construction of the two projects. The Prime Minister is the chairman of the Board. According to Minister Pun, all the preparations for the construction of the two projects would be concluded within the next one year.

Chief Executive Officer of HIDCL, Chhabiraj Pokharel said the Tamor Project would be constructed in the government-government partnership model. This project was much talked about since long but the process for its constriction had not moved ahead.

This is the first time that a MoU has been signed for the construction of projects through collaboration between the government companies of the two countries. So far, no projects had been constructed adopting this model.

The Sino-Sagarmatha Hydropower has constructed and brought into operation the 50-Megawatts-capacity Upper Marsyangdi 'A' Hydro-electricity Project through collaboration between the private company of Nepal and China. However, this is the first effort at the government company level for the construction of hydroelectricity projects. RSS