Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

DESK STUDY REPORT

of
DUDHKOSHI -9 Hydropower Project
111MW
(Solukhumbu District )

Submitted to
Government of Nepal, Ministry of Energy
Department of Electricity Development,
Kathmandu, Nepal

Submitted by
Urja Developers Pvt.Ltd.
Kathmandu-11, Tripureshwar,
Kathmandu, Nepal

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Table of Contents
Page

Salient Features i,

Chapter 1: General Project Information

1.1 Background 1
1.2 Project 1
1.2.1 Location 2
1.2.2 Accessibility 2
1.3 Objectives of the Study 3
1.4 Scope of Works 3
1.5 Methodology for Detailed Study 3
1.5.1 Detailed Survey 3
1.5.2 Hydrological Study 4
1.5.3 Geological Study 4
1.5.4 Civil Design 4
1.5.5 Electromechanical Design 4
1.5.6 Economic and Financial Analysis 4

Chapter 2: Topography and Geology 5

2.1 Topography 5
2.2 Geology 6
Chapter 3: Hydrology and Meteorology 6
3.1 Drainage Basin 6
3.2 Climate 6
3.3 Hydrological Study 6
3.4 Hydrology/Meteorology-Mean monthly flow 7/8
3.5 Long Term Mean Monthly Flow
3.6 Flow Duration Curve 9
3.7 Sediment 10/11
Chapter 4: Power and Energy 12
4.1 Introduction 13
4.2 Methodology 14
4.3 Results(Monthly Power & Energy ) 12
Chapter 5: Project Cost and Economics(Preliminary Estimate of Power Input) 13
5.1 Project Costs 13
5.2 Project Economics 13
Annex 1: Topographical Map of the Project Area 14
* Scope of Works, CostBreakdown and Working Schedule 15/17

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Salient Features
General salient features of the Project are presented below.

River Name Dudhkoshi Nadi

Location Chaurikharka
VDC,
Solukhumbu
District
Project Area 270 45’ 08" N North
270 41’ 56" N South
860 44’ 15" E East
860 41’ 30" E West
Intake Location 270 45’ 02" N Latitude
860 42’ 55" E Longitude
Tailrace Location 270 41’ 59" N Latitude
860 42’ 47" E Longitude
Weir Crest Elevation 2,650.00 m amsl
Riverbed Elevation at Tailrace 2,350.00 m amsl
Weir Height 5.00 m (Approx.)
Tailrace Level above Riverbed for Design 3.00 m (Approx.)
Flood
Gross Head(Hgross) 300.00 m
Maximum Head Loss in Water Conveyance 15 m (5%)
Net Head (Hnet) 285 m
Design Discharge (Qdesign) 49.60 m3/s
Overall Efficiency (htotal) 80%

Installed Capacity 111,000 kW

Headrace Length 6 km
(Approx.)
Transmission Line Length 10.00 km
(Approx.)

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Chapter 1: General Project Information

1.1 Background
Nepal is set in the arc of Himalaya extending from between 26o22’ – 30o27’N in latitude
and 80o4’ – 88o12’E in longitude covering a total area of approximately 147,181 sq. km
with a roughly rectangular in shape. Average length of the country is 885 km in east west
and 192 km in north south direction. Range of altitude varies widely from about 60 m to
8848 m in Mount Everest. The country is bordered by People’s Republic of China in north
and India in other three directions. The kingdom of Nepal covers nearly 0.1% of the earth’s
land surface.

Electricity is one of the important infrastructures for economic development of a country.

Hydropower is a renewable, economic, non-polluting & environmentally sound source of
energy. Hydropower stations have inherent ability for instantaneous starting, stopping, load
variations etc. and help in improving reliability of power system. Hydroelectric projects
have long useful life extending over 50 years and help in conserving scarce fossil fuels.
They also help in opening up of avenues for development of remote and backward areas

Nepal has been blessed with a bountiful resource of hydropower. With an estimated 225
billion cubic meters of average annual flow in its rivers, Nepal has a theoretical generation
capacity of 83000 MW of which about 42000 MW is considered to be economically
feasible for generation. The data presented below are some data prepared by Government of
Nepal, Water and Energy Commission Secretariat (WECS) and Department of Electricity
Development (DOED) related to the theoretical, technical and economically feasible
hydropower potentials in the country.

The combination of steep gradient and more than 6000 large and small perennial nature of
rivers makes the country ideal for the development of hydropower. Nepal Electricity
Authority (NEA) has been managing the power industry in Nepal. At present, it has been
serving more than 970 thousand consumers with a total capacity of more than 750 MW.
Because of the fact that less than 2% of the potential has been realized to date, rapid growth
of industrial establishments and commercial use are expected and slow exploration of large
hydropower potential involves many socio-economic issues, environmental/ecological
considerations, fund requirements, large gestation periods, there is an ample scope of
developing small hydropower projects in hilly districts of Nepal. In view of this, Govt/N
has been adopting a liberal policy to attract private entrepreneurs with a basket of incentive
for the development of small hydropower projects inside the country. As per the policy of
NEA, it has been purchasing power produced by small hydropower projects up to 25 MW
at a defined rate of NRs 4.80 and 8.40 during wet and dry seasons respectively.

The role of small hydropower potential in the context of overall development of the country
is significant. Their short gestation period and low investment requirement, in-house
financing possibility, the absence of major socio-economic fallout, readily and locally
availability of materials, technology and technical and financial resources and assured
market are attractive features of the small hydropower. Besides this, being located in close
proximity of rural areas particularly in hills, development of such schemes will lead to
small-scale agro-based industrialization and avoid transmission and distribution, losses
associated with carrying power from distant sources. Small hydropower is therefore not

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

only investment-friendly, but can also promote rural development in the most economically
viable way.

To fulfill the growing energy demand of the country, Government of Nepal has formulated
policy to involve the private sector in the generation of hydropower. Since the government
came up with new policies and regulations in the early 1990s to promote private sector
involvement in the hydropower sector, several projects have been promoted. It is now the
government's priority to develop the country through the development of hydropower. This
involves mobilizing resources from both the national and international investors into the
hydropower sector. The policies, rules and regulations for this have been put into place and
several other small hydropower projects have been successfully launched within the
existing legal framework.
In order to assist the capital need for the construction of small and medium hydropower
projects, the government with help of World Bank, has established a power development
fund (PDF) to support the private investors. Domestic commercial banks have also shown
their interest to invest in hydropower sector as priority investment. Establishment of power
development fund has attracted the independent power producers (IPP) in this sector

1.2 Project
The Dudhkoshi-09 Hydropower Project will use water from Phakdin Khola and Dudhkoshi
Nadi itself,in Solukhumbu district,which lies in Eastern development region of Nepal and
in turn, is the mountains based tributary.

1.2.1 Location
The proposed project lies in Solukhumbu district of Sagarmatha zone in Eastern
Development Region of Nepal. The entire project components are located along the right
bank of Dudhkoshi Nadi while the diversion weir is located in both left and right bank of
the Dudhkoshi Nadi. The proposed headworks site for the project is situated approximately
at 300 m upstream near Thulo Gumela of Chaurikharka Village Development Committee
Mamchok gaon. The tentative elevation of the headworks is about 2650 m amsl. The intake
is located at Gumela gaon, while the powerhouse is situated at Rondinma of same VDC.
The tentative elevation of the powerhouse and tailrace is about 2350 m amsl. It seems that
the gross head of the project is about 300 m. The latitudes and longitudes of four corner
point of the project area is given in the table of silent feature of this report and also shown
in the original Toposheet sheet as attached. The project layout has been shown in the
attached topographic sheet.

1.2.2 Accessibility

The Dudhkoshi Nadil Hydropower Project is accessible through about road along the
Kathmandu-Salleri Highway of Solukhumbu district.. There are daily bus services from
Kathmandu to Salleri. at Salleri Bazzar.The access gravel-road has been built from the
local people themselves. Telephone facilities are already available at project site.

1.3 Objectives of the Study

The principal objectives of the present study for the project is to carry out detailed
feasibility study including detailed survey, project layout, design, preparation of drawings,
cost estimate, power evacuation study, hydrological and sedimentation study.

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

1.4 Scope of Works

For the study of the projects during Detailed Feasibility Study, followings will be the scope
of works:

 Review and study of reports of hydropower projects proposed on Dudhkoshi Nadi

 Topographical, Hydrological and Geological studies
 Assessment of power potential and energy generation, Optimization studies of different
components
 Power Market Survey
 Socio-economic situation Analysis of the project area
 Layout, basic design and dimensioning of all the components (Civil works, electro-
mechanical equipment)
 Preparation of bill of the quantities and estimation of the project costs
 Financial Evaluation of the project

The detail description of the tasks to be carried out is given in the following stages of work.

1.5 Methodology for Detailed Study

The detailed feasibility study Dudhkoshi 9 Hydropower Project is proposed to be carried
out by RECHAM Consultancy. First of all, collection and review of existing data and
literature related to the site and hydropower generation will be carried out. All previous
studies of Dudhkoshi 9 Hydropower Project, upstream of the proposed project will be
studied. Available hydrological data of the river and rainfall of the locality will be collected
from the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Kathmandu, Nepal.

A team of engineers, surveyor, hydropower engineer, hydrologist, geologist, will be

deputed to the project site for survey, detailed investigation and discussion with the local
people in conducting the Detailed Feasibility Study of the project. Next, technical experts
team including hydropower engineers, surveyor and supporting technicians will be deputed
to the project site to conduct the detailed survey, contour mapping, civil layout, discharge
measurement and fixation of a permanent gauge station, data collection etc. The district rate
of the construction materials and labor and prevailing rates at the project site will also be
collected during the site visit for the purpose of cost estimation. A mass meeting with the
local people will be conducted to familiarize the objectives of seeking cooperation and
feedback from them. The detail of the project such as calculation, design of civil structures,
drawings and detail preparation will be prepared at the office, Putalisadak , Kathmandu,
Nepal.

The feasibility and initial environmental examination study are planned to be conducted in
the following stages:
 Reconnaissance survey
 Field Investigation Survey
 Draft Report Submission
 Final Report Submission

1.5.1 Detailed Survey

Detailed survey will be carried out using Theodolite, EDM, Total Station, leveling
instruments as per requirements of the site. The topographical survey of the project
including headworks, desilting basin, water conveyance system, forebay and powerhouse
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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

will be made with Theodolite/EDM. The topographical map shall be prepared in 1:500
scales with contour intervals of 2 m. The detailed topographical mapping of intake,
desilting basin, forebay and the powerhouse area will be prepared in 1:200 scale with
contour interval of 1 m.

1.5.2 Hydrological Study

There is a no gauging station for daily discharge series for the river through its basin. The
hydrological study of the river will be done through the establishment of gauge reading
station and empirical equation derived by various governmental and non-governmental
institutions. Hydrologist will analyze the silt distribution and also calculate the flood
discharge of Dudhkoshi Nadi Drainage basin, climate of the whole catchment area will also
be studied.

1.5.3 Geological Study

Geological study will be carried out to conduct the geological investigation of the project
site and to prepare geological maps. This includes:
 Study of geomorphology of the project site
 Study of lithology of the project sites and identification of the type of earth materials
 Study of the orientation of beds, foliation and joints with the help of the field
investigation data and previous studies
 Prepare the geological cross-section along the diversion weir axis and powerhouse
 Excavate test pits on diversion weir, powerhouse and de-silting basin sites
 Study of the geological formation of the project site
 Identify the hazardous and non-hazardous area for the project
 Recommend the appropriate design for the civil construction

1.5.4 Civil Design

Civil design work includes layout/design of the civil structures of the hydrological plant i.e.
diversion weir, intake structure, de-sanding basin, power canal, aqueducts, fore-bay,
spillway, penstock pipes, powerhouse and tailrace system including approach road.

1.5.5 Electromechanical Design

Electromechanical design includes identifying/designing necessary electromechanical
components like turbine, generator, control system, switchyard and its components,
transmission line etc.

1.5.6 Economic and Financial Analysis

The financial and economic analysis of the project includes, but not limited to the
followings:
 Cost estimates and rate analysis
 Calculation of FIRR and BC Ratio
 Sensitivity Analysis

The FIRR and BC ratio will be assessed to justify the viability of the project. Sensitivity
analysis will also be done to test the sustainability of the project in case of adverse
situation. All cost and benefits are defined in terms of opportunity forgone because the
resources required for this project cannot be used in the best available alternative
investment. Benefits and cost stream are first estimated on the basis of the local market
price and adjusted for economic and financial analysis.

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Chapter 2: Topography and Geology

2.1 Topography
The altitudinal range within the project area of Dudhkoshi Nadi varies approximately
2350m 2650m. Average natural slope of terrain in the river basin is about 20 percent and
average river slope within the project area is around 12. The proposed powerhouse is
located in the right bank of the Dudhkoshi Nadi.

2.2 Geology
The proposed Dudhkoshi Nadi covers the metamorphic portions of the Lower Himalayan
thrust sheet. The thrust sheet in the project site consists of high grade sedimentary rock.
Lithologically the project area consists of conglomerate gneiss, magmatite and very little
quartzite. The bedrock area is widely covered with loose deposits of quaternary formation
of alluvium, colluvium and old debris deposits.

The present geological study comprises the following objectives:

 Study of geomorphology of the project site

 Study the lithology of the area and identify the types of earth materials
 Study of orientation of the beds, foliation and joints which helps to identify the stability
of the terrain
 Prepare the geological map of the project site with the help of field investigation data
and previous studies
 Prepare the geological cross-section along the diversion weir and powerhouse
 Excavate test pits on the diversion weir, powerhouse and de-silting basin site
 Study of the geological formation of the project site
 Identify the hazardous and non-hazardous area for the project
 Recommend the appropriate design for civil construction

The project area lies in the Lesser Himalayan Zone of Eastern Nepal. The Rocks of this
regional unit are sub-divided into allochthonous and autochthonous units.The allochthonous
units consists of rocks of Butwal Complex and the autochthonous units consist of rocks of
Palpa Complex. The Dang Complex represents sedimentary rocks underlain by argillaceous
and fossiliferous carbonates. The Butwal Complex forms the core of the Mahabharat
Synclinorium. This is essentially consists of Precambrain sedimentary to Meta Sedimentary
rocks. The Tansen Group consists of Tertiary Paleogen sedimentary rocks. In addition to
these Precambrain sedimentary rocks, the areas consist of Quaternary deposits of Dariyal
Nadi.

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Chapter 3: Hydrology and Meteorology

3.1 Drainage Basin
The Dudhkoshi Nadi is one of the tributaries of the mountainous river and Phakdin Khola
and itself and originated from Mahabharat range. Total catchment area of the river is
approximately 1’186.84 km2.

Dudhkoshi Nadi is a perennial stream fed by Himalaya monsoon. In addition to the

favorable contribution of monsoon precipitation, the basin is elongated in the south-west
direction draining towards the southern side. The catchment area is characterized by higher
Himalayan hard gneiss rock and thin vegetation. Therefore, sediment concentration is
relatively lower in the river. About one third of the catchment is covered by thin mixed
forest. Except some permanent snow lines, the rest of the catchment is covered with jungle
and grass land with scattered vegetation.

3.2 Climate
The project area lies in the middle mountain region of Nepal. Since the climate is
dominated by topographical variations, the catchments area experiences subtropical to
temperate climate. Similar to the other parts of Nepal, the region is also influenced by the
monsoon. The region receives 70 to 80 percent of annual precipitation during the four
month monsoon period from June to September. The annual precipitation within the
watershed ranges from 1500 mm to 2100 mm with an average of 1300 mm at the centroid
of the catchment area of the proposed project.

The annual maximum temperature in the project area generally occurs in May and ranges
from 24° to 30° C. Similarly, the minimum temperature generally occurs in December-
January and ranges from 4° C to 8°C.

3.3 Hydrological Study

Time series data of more than 20 years is considered to be statistically reliable hydrological
data. Since there is not any single set of hydrological data related to project, different
approximate methods and approaches were used to estimate hydrological parameters.

There are ten sets of discharge measurements along the project area were carried out from
1998 to 2006 by Dudhkoshi Nadi Hydropower Project. These measured discharges were
utilized to estimate long-term average monthly flows by Medium Irrigation Project (MIP)
method. The estimated long term average monthly flows of April (dry flow), August (peak
flow) and June-September (monsoon flows) based on the recommended mean flow per unit
square kilometer (MIP) were computed and compared with the estimated mean monthly
flows based on the measured flows. Averages of the long term flows of the most
convincing flow parameters were recommended for further use.

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

3.4 Hydrology/Meteorology /Monthly flow

Catchment area at the proposed intake and tailrace sites is presented below.

Table. 1.: Characteristics of the Dudhkoshi Nadi catchment at the proposed intake site

Elevation, masl Intake Tailrace

Area in km2 % Area in km2 %
Above 5’000 740.74 62.4% 750.00 59.7%
Below 5’000 446.10 37.6% 506.39 40.3%
Below 3’000 7.23 0.6% 21.29 1.7%
Total catchment area 1’186.84 100.0% 1’256.39 100.0%

Figure 1: Catchment area at the proposed headworks and tailrace sites of Dudhkoshi-9 Hydropower Project

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3.4.1 Mean Monthly Flow

The mean monthly flow of the River is generated from the discharge measurement made by
Dudhkoshi 9 Hydropower project with the help of data from the department of Hydrology
and Meteorology.

3.5 Long term mean monthly flow/Flow Duration Curve

The flow duration curve has been presented below clearly shows that the design discharges
at the probability of exceedanc of 40%. This discharge is used as the design discharge for
the plant optimization of the project. The components of the project will be designed on the
design discharge

Table 2: Long-term mean monthly flows by various methods and adopted flows

Total Catchment : 1’186.84 km2 Annual Rainfall : 2’125 mm

Catchment < 5'000m
: 446.10 km2 MWI : 1’795 mm
Catchment < 3'000m
: 7.23 km2 Average Altitude : 5’818 m

Long Term Mean Monthly Q40%

Adopted Sorted P (%)
S. Flows (m3/s) (m3/s)
Month Discharge Discharge
N. CAR with
HYDEST MHSP (m3/s) (m3/s)
Dudhkoshi
1 Jan 5.55 14.17 12.94 12.94 175.10 7.69%

2 Feb 4.72 11.86 10.65 10.65 165.69 15.38%

3 Mar 4.33 11.20 10.31 10.31 126.70 23.08%

4 Apr 4.65 15.48 12.33 12.33 71.67 30.77%

5 May 6.52 17.97 21.25 21.25 55.49 38.46%

6 Jun 56.94 58.13 71.67 71.67 26.11 46.15%

49.62
7 Jul 66.52 167.62 165.69 165.69 21.25 53.85%

8 Aug 79.31 194.31 175.10 175.10 16.88 61.54%

9 Sep 60.72 147.76 126.70 126.70 12.94 69.23%

10 Oct 26.46 66.33 55.49 55.49 12.33 76.92%

11 Nov 29.56 32.07 26.11 26.11 10.65 84.62%

12 Dec 18.93 21.01 16.88 16.88 10.31 92.31%

Mean 30.35 63.16 58.76 58.76 58.76 49.62

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Figure 2: Annual hydrograph of Dudhkoshi Nadi headworks site as per adopted long-term monthly flows

Figure 3 Flow duration curve of Dudhkoshi Nadi headworks site as per adopted long-term monthly flows

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6 Sediment

Natural phenomenon
The sediment transport of all Lesser Himalayan Rivers is mainly a natural phenomenon. In
a geomorphologic context, land erosion and sediment transport processes are balancing the
tectonic uplift of the Himalayan range caused by the continental drift. The Indian plate and
the Eurasian plate meet in the Lesser Himalayan area.

Human impacts
Human activities in the basins have, however, caused an increase in the pressure on land
resources due to road construction, livestock grazing, agriculture and use of forest
resources. The general land use practice in the hills has intensified land erosion and thus
increased the sediment transport rates in most Himalayan Rivers. It is not likely that these
man made contributions to the erosion and sedimentation processes will be reduced during
lifetime of the Dudhkoshi 9 Hydropower Project. The general trend in the Himalayan
basins is increased sediment yield and not reduced yield even though some efforts are made
through watershed management and erosion mitigation measures.

Complex pattern
The sediment transport pattern in the river is complex ranging from fine clay particle origin
from the mountains to large boulders of tens of tons of local origin. The sediment transport
pattern in Dudhkoshi Hydropower Project is not known in details, but expectedly it is
guided by the general characteristics of sediment processes in Lesser Himalayan Rivers.

Annual variations
The sediment load in a river varies largely from year to year. The fluctuation in the annual
sediment load is much higher than the variations in water runoff.

Seasonal variations
There are furthermore large seasonal variations in the sediment load. The major part of the
sediment load is transported during the monsoon season (assumed to be 80% to 90%). High
sediment concentrations must, however, to be expected during relatively small pre-
monsoon floods.

Mass wasting
The sediment supply to rivers like Dudhkoshi is guiding the amount of sediments
transported by the river, and not the sediment transport capacity of the river. Mass wasting
(mainly in tributaries) plays a dominant role in the pattern of sediment yield. The sediment
yield is increasing in the downstream direction in almost all Himalayan Rivers. This is
mainly attributed to the variations in geology, rainfall and land-use pattern.

Flow and concentration

The correlation between water flows and observed suspended sediment concentration in
Himalayan Rivers is poor. Water flow is therefore not a reliable parameter to determine the
sediment concentration in the river. Sediment sampling of Himalayan river is difficult and
the available data are often questionable with respect to data quality. The operation of the
head works with respect to the sediment exclusion devices can therefore not be guided by
the water flow only. There are rapid and unpredictable changes in the water flow as well as
in the suspended concentration.

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High Transport Capacity

Dudhkoshi Nadi is able to transport various sizes of boulders during floods. The bed load is
in most cases not known, as it is practically impossible to observe bed load transport rates
in Himalayan Rivers. The bed load transport rate is often assumed to be a fixed percentage
of the suspended sediment load (15% to 20%). Underestimation of bed load (or unmeasured
load) may be one of the reasons why reservoir sedimentation studies almost always show a
higher sediment load than what has been observed through a suspended sediment-sampling
program. The actual sediment loads are often found to be from two to five times the
estimated sediment loads based on sampling program.
River reaches
A river may generally be divided in to four different reaches with respect to the sediment
transport capacity and the sediment supply. These reaches are shown in the following table.

Classification of river reaches

Reach of the river Sediment supply situation
Erosion Transport capacity > sediment supply
Regime Transport capacity = sediment supply
Deposition Transport capacity < sediment supply
Delta Transport capacity << sediment supply
The resulting sediment transport of the river is guided by its hydraulic capacity to transport
sediments in the three lower reaches. In fact, most of Nepal is located within the first
category labeled erosion.

Chapter 4: Power and Energy

4.1 Introduction
The only purpose of developing a power plant is obviously to generate energy. The amount
of energy that can be generated from a power plant is totally dependent on the quantity of
water available for that purpose. On the other hand, the power that can be produced from a
power plant i.e. the capacity of a power plant is defined by the available inflow of water,
the discharge of the river for a particular duration of time.

4.2 Methodology
The general terminology used to define the discharge for a particular duration of time is Qnn
is also called the dependable inflow of the river. For example, Q40 = 10 m3/s means that
inflow is available 40 % of the time during a year. It is also called the rated discharge of the
power plant for that particular dependency factor and is determined by the daily average
flow of the river.

The usual method of determining the quantity of energy that can be generated from a power
plant is to first of all, fix the capacity of the plant as per the acceptable by all parties
dependable discharge of the river.

From the viewpoint of energy generation, the duration of a year is divided into dry and wet
period and the energy produced is called dry period energy and wet period energy

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

accordingly. The inflow of the river is far much greater in wet period, but the demand of
energy is greater in dry period.

So, it is beneficial for the power producer to have equipment of higher capacities installed
to utilize as much water available as possible, but as much of the energy will be generated
during wet period, the buyer, the NEA in this case, will not be willing to purchase it, as
NEA has excess energy in this period and can not sell it.

As the power producer has to have a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NEA, it has to
adhere to the guideline fixed by it. The present regulation fixed by NEA is to have PPA
with the power producers for Q40.
So, it was decided to carry out the power and energy study for Q40 scenarios, which is as
per the regulation of NEA and all the energy produced by the plant purchased by NEA.

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4.0 Power, Energy & Revenue

Adopting the above mentioned design discharge (Q40%) and head, the power & energy
potential of Dudhkoshi-9 Hydropower Project has been calculated and is presented
below:
Power, Energy & Revenue Calculation Sheet
Project Name: Dudhkoshi 9 Hydropower Project
River Dudhkoshi nadi Installed Capacity : 111 MW
Overall Efficiency 80 %
Turbine Efficiency 90 %
Generator Efficiency 91 % Annual Revenue with 5% Outage
Transformer Efficiency 98 % PPA rate Nrs Revenue
Gross Gead 300 mtr Dry Energy 8.4 571230000
Net Head 285 mtr Wet Energy 4.8 2282758571
Design Discharge 49.6 cms Annual Revenue Nrs 2853988571
% of Exceedence 40 %
Weir Crest Level 2650 amsl
Tailrace Water Level 2350 amsl

available Design Net Operating Generated

Month Flow Outage Dry Energy Wet Energy
flow Flow Head Days power
m3/s m3/s m3/s mtr days % Kw GWH GWH
January 12.94 11.91 11.91 285 31 5 26638.86 19.819311

February 10.65 9.62 9.62 285 28 5 21516.86 14.459331

March 10.31 9.28 9.28 285 31 5 20756.39 15.442754

April 12.33 11.3 11.3 285 30 5 25274.48 9.098814 9.098814

May 21.25 20.22 20.22 285 31 5 45225.67 33.647898

June 71.67 70.64 49.6 285 30 5 110939.33 79.876316

July 165.69 164.66 49.6 285 31 5 110939.33 82.538860

August 175.1 174.07 49.6 285 31 5 110939.33 82.538860

September 126.7 125.67 49.6 285 30 5 110939.33 79.876316

October 55.49 54.46 49.6 285 30 5 110939.33 79.876316

November 26.11 25.08 25.08 285 30 5 56095.93 40.389073

December 16.88 15.85 15.85 285 31 5 35451.38 12.762496 12.762496

Sub Total 71.582707 500.604950
Dry season Energy 71.582707 GWH
Wet season Energy 500.604950 GWH
Total Energy 572.187657 GWH
Table 3 Power and energy generation pattern of Dudhkoshi-9 Hydropower Project

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Chapter 5: Project Cost and Economics

5.1 Project Costs
This Cost Estimation Report, describes the methodology used, and present the Project cost
estimate. Tentative costs of different options of the Project for optimizations were carried
out with general layout of the Project. The Project cost estimation is carried out in parallel
with the quantities of various items taken off from the feasibility level of drawings and
quantities derived from empirical relations. The quantities and rates during the
optimizations were taken off from the general layout which was based on preliminary
investigation. Therefore, the Project cost for different options were more on the
conservative side.

Financial analysis of the Project is carried out to assess the financial viability of the Project.
There are different modes of financing. In this study, the Project is analyzed assuming that
the Project will be developed through the local private developer using local currency. The
developer will arrange the required finance through commercial bank and equity. The
Project will be developed according to the prevailing hydropower policy. The entire energy
will be sold to NEA through mutually agreed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA).

As the Project is being developed by private developer, the economic analysis of the
Project is irrelevant. Hence, only the financial analysis will be carried out on the selected
options. The tentative cost of the project is nearly NRs 1710 Crores approximately.

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Scope of Works

The scope of works of the study is divided into two groups.

a) Pre-feasibility Study
b) Feasibility Study

1. Pre –feasibility Study

The pre-feasibility study includes the following activities.

 Review of data and desk study
 Initial field visits
 Hydrological evaluation
 Pre- feasibility level design and costing

2. Feasibility Study

The feasibility study includes the following activities.

 Topographic surveys
 Hydrological and Sedimentological study
 Geological and geotechnical investigation
 Construction materials survey
 Project layout and design
 Cost estimates
 Project evaluation
 Construction planning and scheduling

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Cost Breakdown of the Feasibility Study

S.N. Description Amount (NRs.)

A. Pre feasibility Study
1. Field works 550,000.00
2. Office works 300,000.00
Sub-total 850,000
B. Feasibility Study

Transportation 500,000.00

1
2 Field Works
a) Topographic Survey
i) Data collection and map preparation 800,000.00
ii) Walkover survey of transmission line 60,000.00
b) Hydrological Studies
i) Gauge establishment and data collection 60,000.00
ii) Flow measurements 60,000.00
iii) Hydrological analyses 60,000.00
c) Geological study
i) Geological Investigation 450,,000.00
ii) Site investigation, mapping and field test 55,000.00
iii) Sampling and lab test 60,000.00
3 Civil components design 200,00,00.00
4. Structural and layout drawings 50,000.00
5. Quantity estimate and cost calculation 40,000.00
6 Mechanical components selection, design and cost 500,000.00
calculation
7 Electrical components selection and design and cost 1450,000.00
calculation
8. Project evaluation 500,000.00
9. Printing, coping and binding of report 90,000.00
10. Office Expenses 300,000.00
Sub-total 70,30,000.00

Grand Total 78,80,000.00

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 Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

Table 4.3: Work Schedule for Detailed Feasibility Study of Dudhkoshi Nadi Hydropower Project

Months 
S. N. 3 6 9 12 15 18 21 24 27 30 33 36
Particulars 

Literature review & maps/

1.
reports collection

2. Field visit of the experts

Detailed topographical,
3. hydrological, and
geological survey
Topographical maps
4.
preparation
Geological map
5.
preparation
Civil structure layout and
6.
design
Electromechanical &
7.
transmission line design

8. Drafting
Quantity estimation and
9.
costing
Economic analysis of the
10. Project and optimization
studies

11. Report preparation

Compilation and
12. submission of reports &
drawings

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Desk Study Report of Dudhkoshi -9 Hydropower Project

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