Funds being secured for Upper Arun Hydel

Banks and financial institutions of Nepal have agreed to invest Rs 53.34 billion in the Upper Arun Hydropower Project.

The total estimated cost of the project is around 214.86 billion rupees.

A financing agreement was signed between the Chief Executive Officer of Nepal Electricity Authority, Kulman Ghising, and the CEO of HIDCL, Arjun Kumar Gautam, and representatives of Nepal Bank, Nepal Banijya Bank, and Citizen Investment Trust.

The project with a total capacity of 1061 MW will have 70 percent of the total cost met through loan investment and 30 percent will be equity capital.

Preparations are being made to acquire loans from the World Bank, European Investment Bank, and other international financial institutions.

It is a semi-reservoir project based in the Bhotkhola rural municipality of the Sankhuwasabha district.

The project will produce 4,512-gigawatt hours of electricity per year of which 30 percent will be produced during the dry season.

The goal is to start construction at the end of 2024 and complete it by 2030. At present, the feasibility study of the project has been completed and the work of selecting a consultant for the bid design and construction supervision work is underway, said NEA CEO Ghising.