Kathmandu. The 110-megawatt Dudhkoshi Fifth Hydropower Project is to be constructed in the Dudhkoshi River of Solukhumbu district. The project site will be located in ward 2, 3, 4, 6 and 7 of Mapya Dudhkoshi Rural Municipality. The powerhouse will be located 730 metres above the confluence of Kakukhola and Dudhkoshi rivers in ward no. 4.

The project will supply 617.86 gigawatt hours of electricity per year to the national grid. In the construction phase, 60 skilled, 150 semi-skilled and 355 unskilled human resources will get employment.

The Department of Electricity Development has already given consent to construct the project in semi-reservoir mode. The Independent Power Company Nepal will construct the project.

Earlier, the Environmental Impact Assessment Report (EIA) was prepared as a river-flowing project, but the Supplementary Environmental Impact Assessment Report is being prepared after the construction of the semi-reservoir in nature for the last time. The Ministry of Forest and Environment has urged the government to provide suggestions for supplementary environmental impact assessment of the project.

The project’s gross head is 237.9 meters and the rated net head is 222.3 meters. A total of 2,459 trees of various species like pine, barren, iterae, uttis, mauwa, malat, bhalayo and jamukh have to be cut down from 25.28 hectares of community forest area for the construction of the project infrastructure.

According to the project, the electricity generated from the project will be connected to New Khimti Substation Devitar, Dolakha. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 19.11 billion. According to the promoter company, the cost per megawatt is Rs 20 crore. The project is expected to be completed within five years.