The 53.5-megawatt Upper Myagdi-1 Hydropower Project, under construction across Dhaulagiri and Malika rural municipalities in Myagdi, has reached 30 percent physical progress. According to project officials, construction of the dam, tunnel, and powerhouse has accelerated over the past year, with 30.94 per cent physical and 30.80 per cent financial progress recorded.
Excavation is underway from four points along the tunnel route. Of the total planned tunnel length of 5,789.71 metres, 2,360 metres have been completed. Works on the dam site, launched in May 2023, have now crossed 45 per cent progress. Excavation for the powerhouse is expected to be completed within two weeks, after which structural construction will begin.
The project is a run-of-river scheme. A 15-meter-high, 40-meter-long dam is under construction at Khamla in Dhaulagiri-4 to divert water into a tunnel. Near the dam, three 100-meter-long, 15-meter-high water-regulating ponds are being built. A 692-metre penstock pipe will deliver water to the powerhouse from a 196-metre vertical drop. Contractors have been selected for mechanical and electromechanical work.
Upper Myagdi Hydropower Limited is developing the project with support from Energy Engineering and Management Solutions. Sanima Bank leads a consortium of six banks financing the NPR 11.23 billion investment, supplemented by promoter funds and public shares.
The Bharbang power plant (Malika-7) will connect to the national grid via a 1.5-kilometre 132 kV transmission line to the Dadakhet substation, with an expected annual output of 315.01 GWh. Supported by a nine-kilometre access road and NPR 62 million in social responsibility funds, the plant is slated to begin power generation by March 2027.