The Bhote Koshi Power Plant (also known as Upper Bhote Koshi Project) is a

run-of-the-river Run-of-river hydroelectricity (ROR) or run-of-the-river hydroelectricity is a type of hydroelectric generation plant whereby little or no water storage is provided. Run-of-the-river power plants may have no water storage at all or a limited amo ...

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

Sindhulpalchok District Sindhupalchowk District ( ne, सिन्धुपाल्चोक जिल्ला ) is a part of Bagmati Province and one of the seventy-seven districts of Nepal, with an area of . The district's headquarters is in Chautara. In 2006, 336, ...

Nepal Nepal (; ne, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne, सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is ma ...

. It was constructed between 1997 and 2000 with power generation starting in January 2001. The project cost about US$98 million. The majority of finances was provided by

Panda Energy International Panda Energy International, Inc. was an American privately held company headquartered in Dallas, Texas which constructs, maintains and operates environmentally friendly power plants. The organization has been recognised by ''Newsweek'' magazine a ...

. The dam, located at , diverts water downstream into a long head race tunnel which terminates into two

penstocks A penstock is a sluice or gate or intake structure that controls water flow, or an enclosed pipe that delivers water to hydro turbines and sewerage systems. The term is inherited from the earlier technology of mill ponds and watermills. ...

that supply the two 22 MW Francis turbine-generators with water. The drop in elevation between the dam and power plant affords a normal

hydraulic head Hydraulic head or piezometric head is a specific measurement of liquid pressure above a vertical datum., 410 pages. See pp. 43–44., 650 pages. See p. 22. It is usually measured as a liquid surface elevation, expressed in units of length, ...

of . The installed capacity of the project is 44 MW, whereas it has a

power purchase agreement A power purchase agreement (PPA), or electricity power agreement, is a contract between two parties, one which generates electricity (the seller) and one which is looking to purchase electricity (the buyer). The PPA defines all of the commercial te ...

(PPA) with Nepal Electricity Authority for generation of 36MW maximum. The PPA dictates how much the project can generate for each month of the Nepali Calendar. During

monsoon A monsoon () is traditionally a seasonal reversing wind accompanied by corresponding changes in precipitation but is now used to describe seasonal changes in atmospheric circulation and precipitation associated with annual latitudinal osci ...

season (about three months each year) Bhote Koshi can operate at full installed capacity, with excess water still being spilt. During winter season however, power generation from the plant decreases drastically due to low river flows.

References

External links

Bhote Koshi Power Company Pvt. Ltd.
{{GeoGroupTemplate Dams completed in 2000 Energy infrastructure completed in 2001 Dams in Nepal Hydroelectric power stations in Nepal Run-of-the-river power stations 2000 establishments in Nepal Buildings and structures in Sindhupalchowk District