Funded by Nepal government and the Republic of Korea through Economic Development Corporation Fund, Chameliya Hydropower has added 15 megawatts of electricity to the national grid on Friday.

Secretary of Ministry of Energy Anup Kumar Upadhyaya congratulated the project staffs and others involved in the construction of the project. “ Chameliya successfully added electricity to the national grid,” said Upadhyaya.

Jubilant statement of secretary Upadhyaya is understandable as the project completed almost a decade after the beginning of the construction. This is also a first major hydropower project of Province 7 or far-western part of Nepal.

“The project has an installed capacity of 30 megawatts out of which 15 megawatts have been synchronized to Nepal Electricity Authority’s national transmission line on Friday afternoon,” Project Chief Ajay Kumar Dahal informed.

Despite having the first right to consume, the locals have been deprived of utilizing electricity produced from Chameliya Hydropower as NEA has not yet built transmission line and substation on the local level.

According to a news released by RSS, initiated with a target-cost of Rs 8.34 billion, the project is now estimated to cost Rs 16 billion upon completion.