With the onset of the dry season and the river volume decreasing, from around this time of the year, hydropower plants across the country start experiencing less generation of electricity. Similarly, the recently commissioned 720-Megawatt Mangdechhu Hydropower Project Authority (MHPA) in Trongsa is not running in its full capacity.
The lean season for the country’s hydropower generation starts in October and lasts until March. At the MHPA, as of now, only three of the four turbines at the powerhouse are operational. However, the machines are not generating electricity to its full capacity, which is 180 megawatt each. Altogether, the project is able to produce only about 250 megawatts of electricity.
According to the project officials, the river discharge, which is the volume of water flowing through its channel, is 46 cubic metre per second. The required discharge to run all four units, as per the design discharge, is 118 cubic metre per second.
Despite the low production, the project officials say, there is no loss in the generation of electricity. The available water is being fully utilised.
Since its commercial operation in June this year, the MHPA has generated 1,120 million units of electricity as targetted and the project expects to achieve its target of 3,000 million units annually from next year. Officials say that MHPA has made all efforts and met the expected generation for the year and is making good use of the available water to meet the firm power generation of 90 MW for the critical winter power.
Through the project’s sale of electricity to India, Bhutan will earn Nu 12bn annually. The two governments formalised the starting tariff at Nu 4.12 per unit for 35 years.
About Nu 48 bn was spent for the Mangdechhu Hydropower Project. Of it, 70 per cent is loan and the remaining as a grant from India.
Passang
