Bhutans swift rivers and terrain with altitudinal variations offer great hydropower potential. With Indias support, the country is developing 10,000 MW of power, which should be ready for sale to India by 2020.
HYDROPOWER drives economic growth in Bhutan. The countrys altitudinal variations and swift rivers have made hydel energy a natural choice for power production. The power sector has, in fact, been the biggest contributor to the countrys exchequer, followed by tourism.
To exploit the hydroelectric potential, the Royal Government of Bhutan entered into an agreement with Government of India in 2006. India has agreed to purchase 10,000 MW of power from Bhutan by 2020. Bhutan, with the support of India, is setting up 10 major hydroelectric projects, which are expected to be completed by that time. The agreement for these projects was signed at the first empowered joint group meeting held in New Delhi in March 2009. Of these 10 projects, the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project and the Punatsangchhu-I & II Hydroelectric Projects are currently under construction. The detailed project reports (DPRs) for four more projectsthe Kholongchhu, the Amochhu, the Wangchu and the Bunakhahave been submitted and are awaiting the approval of the two governments. The remaining three projectsthe Kuri Gongri, the Chamkharchhu-I and the Sankosh Reservoirare to be finalised soon.
While hydropower is one of the main revenue-generating sectors, the Bhutanese government is also working on network expansion within the country. One of Bhutans priorities is to provide electricity for all by 2020. Bhutan, with its abundant water supply, has the scope to generate as much as 30,000 MW of electricity.
MANGDECHHUThe 720-MW Mangdechhu project is an important part of the countrys hydropower development programme. The Rs.380-crore project is funded by the Government of India as 30 per cent grant and 70 per cent loan at 10 per cent annual interest to be paid back in 30 equated instalments. The Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority was constituted in June 2010, comprising a chairperson, four members from the government of Bhutan and three from the Indian government. The project is headed by a managing director, assisted by a joint managing director, a director (technical) and a director (finance). NHPC Ltd, an Indian public sector undertaking, is the design and engineering consultant to the project.
The project is spread over 325 hectares, including 8.5 hectares under submergence, and is located on the river Mangdechhu in Trongsa dzongkhag ( dzongkhag is an administrative and judicial district) in central Bhutanaround 200 km from the capital, Thimphu. The project includes the construction of a 56-metre-high and 141.28-metre-wide concrete gravity dam, a 13,661-metre-long head race tunnel, and an underground powerhouse with four units of 180 MW Pelton-turbine-driven generator set. The power evacuation of the project has been planned through 400 kV transmission lines. Bhutan Power Corporation Ltd, the executing agency for the transmission lines, has appointed the Central Electricity Authority (CEA) and WAPCOS Ltd of India as consultants for design and engineering.
Civil works for the project was kicked off with the formal ground breaking ceremony in 2012, which was attended by Bhutans Economic Affairs Minister Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk, who is also the chairman of the Mangdechhu Hydroelectric Project Authority. The project management takes great pride in the speed and efficiency with which the project is progressing and aims to commission it ahead of the target date of September 2017.
The management of the Authority is also committed to improving the socio-economic conditions of the local communities around the project site. It has undertaken the task of upgrading the existing basic health units, initiated a land management campaign, taken measures to set up a biogas project, and started a rabies control programme and vaccination of people against various diseases. The management has also taken up a semi-commercial poultry project and a feed and fodder development programme. Moreover, the project itself generates considerable employment in the region. Civil and infrastructure works such as building of roads, bridges and residential quarters for the workers have been awarded to local contractors; local residents also get business opportunitiesthey sell dairy products, foodstuffs, vegetables, etc, to the 2,000-odd project personnel staying in and around the area.
PUNATSANGCHHU-I &IIAnother important ongoing hydroelectric project is Punatsangchhu I and II. The 1,200-MW Punatsangchhu-I project began in November 2008 and is scheduled for commissioning in November 2016. The agreement for the implementation of the project was signed between Bhutan and India in 2007. WAPCOS is the consultant, and the main civil and electro-mechanical works have been awarded to HCC, Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), Larsen & Toubro and Gammon India.
The 1,020-MW Punatsangchhu-II project, which began in December 2010, is scheduled for commissioning in December 2017. This project, on the Punatsangchhu river, is located 3 km downstream of the Punatsangchhu-I power house. The foundation stone for the project was laid in April 2010 in Thimphu jointly by Bhutan Prime Minister Lyonchen Jigmi Y Thinley and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. WAPCOS is the consultant, while Jaypee, BHEL and Gammon have been awarded the main civil and electro-mechanical works.
OTHER IMPORTANT PROJECTSApart from the 10 projects, there are several other important India-assisted hydropower projects that have made electricity widely available in Bhutan. The 1,020-MW Tala Hydroelectric Project on the Wangchu river is one of the most important ones operational in Bhutan today. The project, built with Indian government funds60 per cent as grant and 40 per cent as low-interest loancomprises a 92-metre-high concrete dam, a 22.2-kilometre-long water conductor system, an underground power house with six generator units of 170 MW each, and three 440 kV single-circuit transmission lines. Surplus power from this project is sold to India.
Another project on the Wangchu river is the Chukha Hydroelectric Project (CHEP). This 336 MW project was built by India at a cost of Rs.246 crore in the late 1980s. It not only exports power to India but also generates substantial internal revenue. It is run by the Chukha Hydropower Corporation.
The Kurichhu Hydroelectric Project on the Kurichhu river in Mongar district is another key project. It was established with the primary objective of providing power to eight dzongkhags in the eastern region. This run-of-the-river 60 MW project has been crucial in the socio-economic development of the region. The Kurichhu project, set up at a cost of Rs.564 crore, was funded by the Government of India (60 per cent grant, 40 per cent low-interest loan).
There are also many small hydropower plants that cater to the needs of remote villages and areas and are not linked to the main electricity distribution grid.
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