Lower Hewa Hydropower Project

About

The Lower Hewa Khola Hydropower Project is a 22.1 MW run-of-river hydropower plant located in Panchthar District, Koshi Province, Nepal. Developed by Mountain Hydro Nepal Pvt. Ltd., the project utilizes flows from the Hewa Khola and Pheme Khola rivers. It operates with a gross head of 178.09 meters and a design discharge of 14.838 m³/s at 40% exceedance probability. The project infrastructure includes a concrete weir and side intake on Hewa Khola, a boulder rip-rap intake on Pheme Khola, and an extensive waterways system totaling approximately 6,039 meters, including approach canals, settling basins, headrace tunnels, penstock, and tailrace. The headrace tunnel from Hewa intake is approximately 1,296 meters, with a combined main tunnel length of 3,997 meters. Power generated is transmitted via a 5 km, 132 kV line to the Phidim Substation along the Kabeli corridor, with temporary evacuation over a 33 kV line during corridor delays. The project began commercial operation on August 6, 2019, and has an annual energy generation estimate of 116.26 GWh with a plant capacity factor of about 61%. Financing involved NPR 4.531 billion in project costs, including 24% cost overruns, supported by a 67% debt-equity ratio with equity raised through IPO and promoters. The power purchase agreement includes tariffs of Rs 4.8/kWh in the wet season and Rs 8.4/kWh in the dry season, with a 3% escalation over five years. Operations were temporarily halted in June 2023 due to flood and landslide damage, resulting in estimated losses of NPR 1 billion.