TRIBHUWAN UNIVERSITY

INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING

PASCHIMANCHAL CAMPUS

Lamachaur-16, Pokhara

PROPOSAL ON

PRE-FEASIBILITY STUDY OF RUDI KHOLA

PEAKING RUN OFF RIVER TYPE HYDROPOWER PROJECT

Submitted by:

Aayush Pangeni [PAS077BCE006]

Kapil Ghimire [PAS077BCE060]

Niken Shrestha [PAS077BCE076]

Rakshit Pandey [PAS077BCE097]

Rakshya Baral [PAS077BCE098]

Sakina Shahi [PAS077BCE112]

Supervisor: Submitted to:

Kaushal Chandra G.C Department of Civil
Engineering

TABLE OF CONTENTS

TABLE OF CONTENTS....................................................................................................ii
LIST OF FIGURES............................................................................................................iv
LIST OF TABLES..............................................................................................................iv
LIST OF ABBREVIATION................................................................................................v
CHAPTER I.........................................................................................................................1
1. INTRODUCTION.......................................................................................................1
1.1. GENERAL............................................................................................................1
1.2. STAGES OF THE HYDROPOWER STUDY.....................................................1
1.3. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY............................................................................2
1.4. SCOPE OF THE WORK AND GUIDELINES /TOOLS USED.........................2
CHAPTER II.......................................................................................................................4
2. LITERATURE REVIEW................................................................................................4
2.1 INTRODUCTION.....................................................................................................4
2.1.2 TOPOGRAPHY OF NEPAL.............................................................................4
2.1.1 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROPOWER IN NEPAL................4
2.1.3 POWER SITUATION IN NEPAL.....................................................................5
2.1.4 POWER DEMAND, SUPPLY AND LOAD FORECAST................................7
2.1.5 ENERGY CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF NEPAL.......................................9
2.1.6 DEVELOPMENT OF GRID SYSTEM, POWER TRANSMISSION AND
DISTRIBUTION PLAN OF NEPAL........................................................................11
2.1.7 LEGAL PROVISION OF HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL..12
2.2 NEED ANALYSIS OF STUDY..............................................................................15
2.3 COMPONENTS OF HYDROPOWER PLANTS IN ROR.....................................16
CHAPTER III....................................................................................................................18
3. METHODOLOGY....................................................................................................18
3.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA...............................................................18
3.2 DATA COLLECTION............................................................................................21
3.3 ANALYSIS AND PLOTTING................................................................................21

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 3.4 DESIGN AND DRAWING OF COMPONENTS OF SYSTEM............................21
3.5 COST ESTIMATION..............................................................................................21
3.6 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS.......................................................................................22
4. EXPECTED OUTPUT..............................................................................................22
CHAPTER IV....................................................................................................................23
5. TIME LINE OF STUDY...........................................................................................23
CHAPTER V.....................................................................................................................24
REFERENCES..................................................................................................................24
APPENDIX........................................................................................................................25
APPENDIX A................................................................................................................25

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 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1: Availability of energy .........................................................................................7

Figure 2: Load forecast of Nepal.........................................................................................8

Figure 3: Overall Energy Consumption of Nepal in 2022...................................................9

Figure 4: Energy consumption in 2019, 2020, and 2021...................................................10

Figure 5: Sectoral Energy Consumption of Nepal in 2022................................................11

Figure 6: Project area.........................................................................................................19

Figure 7: Flowchart for hydropower planning and investigation......................................20

Figure 8: Flowchart for prefeasibility study for hydropower plant...................................21

Figure 9: Time schedule of project....................................................................................24

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Figure 10: Topographical Map of the study area...............................................................26

LIST OF TABLES

Table 1: Load Forecast Comparative...................................................................................9

LIST OF ABBREVIATION

Abbreviations Ful Forms

DHM Department of Hydrology and Metrology

DoED Department of Electricity Development

GWh Giga Watt hour

Km Kilometer

KW Kilo Watt

MW Mega Watt

RoR Run of River

v
PRoR Peaking Run of River

WECS Water and Energy Commission Secretariat

PJ Petajoule

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CHAPTER I

1. INTRODUCTION

1.1. GENERAL

Rudi Khola PROR Hydropower Project is the project selected by a group of six students
from Paschimanchal campus in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the bachelor’s
degree in civil engineering subject entitled "PROJECT-I & II (CE-755)" in Fourth Year.
The project location and alignment will be fixed from desk study. One best alignment
will be selected from a desk study of three different alternative alignments and the
prefeasibility study will be carried out for further appraisal.

The field works will be carried out by the project group members for survey and
investigation of the project. This report is prepared for the pre-feasibility study of the
Rudi Khola PROR Hydropower Project.

1.2. STAGES OF THE HYDROPOWER STUDY

The main three stages of hydropower studies are Reconnaissance/Desk study, Pre-
feasibility Study and feasibility Study (Baral, 2016).

A. Reconnaissance/Desk study – Hydropower studies start from a reconnaissance

or desk study phase where a quick assessment is made based on the available
information about the site accompanied with quick site visit. If the finding of the
desk study is viable the pre-feasibility study is carried out (DoED, 2018).

“Based on current market prices or unit cost of recently built hydropower plants
in the vicinity of the project area (or in similar areas), attempts should be made to
estimate the cost of the proposed project. Based on estimates of energy generation
and project cost, the desk study should recommend whether a full feasibility study
should be carried out. (DoED, 2018).

1
 The desk study is also required to obtain a survey license from DoED in
hydropower development study.

B. Pre-feasibility study– The second organized step in hydropower investigation

and planning is pre-feasibility study. The main purpose of the pre-feasibility study
is to select and appraise possible projects for further consideration, determine the
technical, economic and environmental practicability of the project (Baral, 2016).

C. Feasibility study – The feasibility study is the comprehensive analysis and

detailed study of the selected project for its ultimate authorization, financing,
design and construction. The feasibility study is carried out to determine
engineering, economic and environmental feasibility of the project (Baral,2016).

1.3. OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

The objectives of this project splits into two parts which are given as:

General:

 Pre-feasibility study of Rudi Khola PRoR Hydropower Project.

Specific:

 To select and appraise possible project from alternatives (Desk Study).

 To carry out investigations, analysis of data and preliminary design and
drawings of the basic components of hydropower project selected and
planned.
 To prepare cost, revenue and perform financial analysis of the project.
 To determine viability of the project.

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1.4. SCOPE OF THE WORK AND GUIDELINES /TOOLS USED

The project includes the wide ranges of the works essentials for the pre-feasibility study
of the project. The scope of this project work includes:

 Hydrological investigation and analysis for Design/ flood Discharge and water
levels (Methods for ungauged River, Tool: HEC-RAS software).
 Topographic survey, preparation of contour Map, alignment and sections
(Methods: Survey, Tools: Total Station, AutoCAD, Civil 3D software, GIS).
 Preliminary design of the basic hydraulic structures and drawings. (DoED
guidelines: Hydraulic size, optimizations, Preliminary Structure size by uplift
criteria: tool: Excels, SAAP-2000).
 Revenue and cost estimation, economic and financial analysis (Government rate
of the energy for sale and unit rate of item for costing, Tools: Microsoft Excel
Sheet).
 Prefeasibility-Report (Tools: Microsoft Word / Excel).

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CHAPTER II

2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 INTRODUCTION

Hydropower is a one of the oldest and largest sources of renewable energy, which uses
the natural flow of moving water to generate electricity. It uses different energy heads
such as potential head, kinetic head, and pressure head to help rotate the turbine that runs
the generators which ultimately produces the electricity.

2.1.2 TOPOGRAPHY OF NEPAL

Nepal has got a varied topography. It ranges from a rugged and steep topography in the
mountainous region to a plain one in the terai. The elevation ranges from a low value of
59 meters, at Mukhiyapatti Musharniya of Dhanusa district, from the sea level in the terai
region to the highest point on earth, the summit of Mount Everest, at 8,848.86 m, within a
short length of 193 Km. This difference in the elevation within a short length, results in
high head difference, which is favorable for hydropower production.

2.1.1 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF HYDROPOWER IN NEPAL

Nepal's journey in hydropower began with the establishment of its first plant at Pharping
(500 KW) in 1911 AD, during Prime Minister Chandra Shamsher Rana’s era, aimed at
serving the energy needs of the ruling class. Notably, this came 29 years after the world's
first hydropower plant, and it preceded China's first plant by a year. India, meanwhile,
had established its first hydropower plant in 1898 in Darjeeling. Initially, hydropower
stations were small and located near towns due to the limitations in long-distance
electricity transmission, which is now possible and economically viable over hundreds of
kilometers through high voltage, overhead transmission lines, either as AC or DC.
Following the initial Pharping plant, the Sundarijal plant (640 KW) was set up in 1936,
followed by the 677 KW Sikarbas plant in 1942, which was destroyed by a landslide in
the 1960s. Hydropower development was further institutionalized with the First Five-
Year Plan (1956-61), which targeted but did not achieve an additional 20 MW. Progress

4
was made during the Second Three-Year Plan (1962-65), with the establishment of Nepal
Electricity Corporation (NEC) in 1962 for transmission and distribution, and the
Electricity Department for generation. Subsequent developments included the Panauti
(2400 KW) in 1965 and Trishuli (24000 KW) in 1967 plants. Institutional changes
continued with the formation of the Eastern Electricity Corporation in 1974, the Small
Hydropower Development Board in 1977, and the merging of several entities into the
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) in 1985, which now oversees all electricity functions.
Other key institutions include the Water and Energy Commission (1976) and its
Secretariat (1981), and the Department of Electricity Development. Recently, the private
sector, through Independent Power Producers (IPPs), has become significant, with IPPs
signing power purchase agreements with the NEA. As of data of 2023, Nepal's total
power generation is 2538.273 MW.

2.1.3 POWER SITUATION IN NEPAL

According to the estimation of Dr. Hari Man Shrestha [1965] done 6 decades ago, the
hydropower potential of Nepal was a whooping 83,500 MW out of which the
economically feasible potential, as estimated by Pradhan [WECS, 2011], was 45,610
MW. But recently, according to the new study, the gross hydropower potential of Nepal
is estimated to be 72,544 MW in which the techno-economical hydropower potential is
estimated to be 32,680 MW including the installed capacity of Run of River projects of
21,651 MW [WECS, 2019]. The total capacity of the Integrated Nepal Power System
(INPS) is 2,684.623 MW. This includes contributions from various sources:

 14 major hydropower plants operated by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)

with a combined capacity of 564.05 MW.
 18 small hydropower plants operated by NEA, contributing 578.624 MW.
 NEA subsidiary projects producing 478.10 MW.
 Independent Power Producers (IPPs) generating 61.940 MW.
 Two thermal power plants managed by NEA, producing 53.41 MW.
 Solar power installations by NEA totaling 25 MW.
 Bagasse-based power generation by IPPs contributing 6 MW.

5
  Additionally, twenty-three isolated small hydropower plants operated by NEA
generate 4.536 MW.

As a result, the total installed capacity in the INPS grid by the end of the fiscal year
2022/23 is 2,684.623 MW. Currently, seven hydropower projects with a total capacity of
487.1 MW are under construction, and eight projects with a total planned capacity of
3,572.4 MW are in the planning stages by NEA (NEA, 2023).

Moreover, under the Mahakali Treaty, Nepal is entitled to receive 70 million units of
energy annually from Tanakpur in the far-west, and an additional 10 MW of power as per
the Koshi Contract. Despite this substantial potential, Nepal has to import electricity from
India during the dry season. However, since the fiscal year 2077/2078, the surplus energy
produced during the wet season has been exported.

In the fiscal year 2079/80, Nepal exported a total of 1,332.92 GWh of energy to India,
while importing 1,854.53 GWh from various locations within the Integrated Nepal Power
System (INPS). Regarding the transmission and sub-transmission of electricity, INPS
encompasses a total of 5,329 kilometers of transmission lines. This includes 514.46
kilometers of 66kV lines, 3,873.87 kilometers of 132kV lines, 675.10 kilometers of
220kV lines, and 102.00 kilometers of 400kV lines (NEA, 2023). Additionally, both the
NEA and the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) are actively promoting
community participation in rural electrification initiatives.

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 AVAILABILITY OF ENERGY(12,369 GWh)
Purchase
India NEA Hydro
15% Generation
24% NEA Hydro Generation

Purchase NEA Subsidaries

Purchase IPPs Nepal

Purchase India
Purchase Purchase
IPPs Nepal NEA Sub-
41% sidaries
20%

Figure 1: Availability of energy (NEA annual report, 2023)

2.1.4 POWER DEMAND, SUPPLY AND LOAD FORECAST

The total energy requirement in Nepal is found to be increased by an average of 8%

annually throughout the forecast period, rising from 4,687 GWh in F/Y 2014 to 12,369
GWh in F/Y 2023 (inclusive of exports to India). According to the NEA (2022/23), peak
demand was expected to grow from 1201 MW in F/Y 2014 to 1870 MW in F/Y 2023.

A comparative load forecast indicates that the base case scenario for peak load in the year
2020/21 is 2378.90 GWh, whereas our generation capacity in the year 2023 is anticipated
to be 2930 GWh. However, considering the optimistic demand scenario, the peak load
could reach 2652.60 MW, surpassing the projected generation by 273.7 MW. This
shortfall highlights the need for continued development in electricity infrastructure to
meet the anticipated load demand.

TABLE 1:LOAD FORECAST COMPARATIVE

Peak Load Peak Peak

FY (MW) (MW) (MW)
Previous Base Optimistic

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 Forecast Case case
2013/1
4 1301 1201.0 1201.0
2014/1
1426.4
5 1286.1 1310.6
2015/1
6 1542.6 1422.3 1400.5
2016/1
7 1653.7 1559 1561.5
2017/1
8 1837.1 1742.3 1800.6
2018/1
9 2018.3 1903 2003.5
2019/2
0 2208.7 2071.5 2220.3
2020/2
1 2361.0 2203.8 2408.6
2021/2
2 2523.0 2378.5 2652.6
2022/2
3 2695.4 2562. 2744.7
2023/2
4 2888.1 2764.5 3024.9
2024/2
5 3109.1 2978. 3330.1
2025/2
6 3345.5 3203.0 3661.6
2026/2
7 3597.6 3439.5 4022.4
2027/2
8 3866.4 1688 4414.5
2028/2
9 4168.3 3971 4866
2029/3
0 4493 4280 5371.2
2030/3
1 4841 4614.4 5930.4
2031/3
2 5216.4 4974.9 6550
2032/3
3 5621.8 5364.5 6779.9

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 Load Forecast
8000
7000
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
2013/ 2014/ 2015/ 2016/ 2017/ 2018/ 2019/ 2020/ 2021/ 2022/ 2023/ 2024/ 2025/ 2026/ 2027/ 2028/ 2029/ 2030/ 2031/ 2032/
14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33

Peak Load(MW) Peak (MW) Peak(MW)

Previous Forecast Base Case Optimistic case

Figure 2:Load forecast of Nepal (NEA Yearly Review, 2023)

2.1.5 ENERGY CONSUMPTION PATTERN OF NEPAL

2.1.5.1 ENERGY CONSUMPTION BY FUEL TYPE:

In FY 2078/79 (2022 AD), Nepal's total energy consumption reached 640 PJ, showing a
slight increase compared to the previous year. Traditional energy sources still dominate
the energy mix, comprising 64.17% of total consumption despite having decreased from
66.26% (FY 2077/78).

9
 Figure 3:Overall Energy Consumption of Nepal in 2022 (WECS, 2023)

Fuelwood remains the primary fuel type consumed, accounting for 58.53% of total fuel
consumption. The consumption of commercial fuels has decreased to 28.35% while
electricity consumption has increased to 4.96%. The usage of renewable energy
contributes only 2.52%.

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 Energy consumed in 2019, 2020, and 2021
70%

60%

50%

40%

30%

20%

10%

0%
d ue te m al y les
oo id as leu Co LP
G cit ab
elw es W tc ri
la R al te ro e ne
w
Fu P El
ltu
r ni
m
id Re
ir cu
A qu
g Li
A

2019 2020 2021

Figure 4:Energy consumption in 2019, 2020, and 2021(WECS, 2023)

2.1.5.2 SECTORAL ENERGY CONSUMPTION:

The national consumption is dominated by the residential sector, which accounts for
60.59% of the total consumption. Despite over 60% of the population engaging in
agricultural activities, the agricultural sector only utilizes 0.94% of the total consumption
due to the use of traditional farming techniques and less advanced technologies. With
22.17% of energy consumption, the industrial sector is the second most energy consumed
sector followed by transportation with 10.49%.

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 Agricultural Commercial Industrial
Residential Transportation Construction and Mining
1.02% 0.94% 4.79%
10.49%

22.17%

60.59%

Figure 5:Sectoral Energy Consumption of Nepal in 2022(WECS, 2023)

2.1.6 DEVELOPMENT OF GRID SYSTEM, POWER TRANSMISSION AND

DISTRIBUTION PLAN OF NEPAL

Government of Nepal has announced to electrify hundred percent within two years
through its plan and policy and NEA has been striving to achieve the government’s
target. Overall, 98 % of populations have access to electricity of which 95.03 % is
through NEA Grid and other through isolated solar/micro hydropower plan. NEA is
planning to complete substantial electrification in 22 more districts in the next two years.
(DCSD, 2023)

NEA is planning to synchronize the Indian system with INPS, and this is almost in the
final phase of implementation. Synchronization of the two grids will increase the
reliability and security of the INPS system as well as create more opportunity for power
exchange between two countries and the third country through market transactions. The
Department has successfully signed the Grid Connection Agreement with 59 Independent
Power Producers (IPPs) for 2412.332 MW power to meet the future load demand.

12
Among those 53 IPPs will produce a total of 2352.332 MW hydropower and the
remaining 6 IPPs will produce a total of 60MW solar power (TMD, 2023).

2.1.7 LEGAL PROVISION OF HYDROPOWER DEVELOPMENT IN NEPAL

Laws are an indispensable element for the smooth running of any system of governance.
For a system to prosper there should be support of government policies and legal
provisions. Only the potential cannot do the development of a nation if the policies
cannot be harnessed. Clearly defined conditions and attractive policy are always essential
to harness the innumerous resources. Realizing this fact, Nepal Government has
developed certain policies. And also in Nepal, efforts and achievements that should have
happened in law implementation and enforcement are in continuous improvement phase.

Policies, Act and Regulations:

 Hydropower Development Policy-1992

 Industrial Policy- 1992
 Foreign Investment and One Window Policy- 1992
 Electricity Act- 1992
 Industrial Enterprises Act-1992 13
 Foreign Investment and Technology Transfer Act -1992
 Environment Conservation Act – 1996
 National Environment Impact Assessment Guidelines – 1993

Legal Framework:

 Survey License issued within 30 days

 Survey License Period up to 5 years
 Project License issued within 120 days
 Project License period up to 50 years
 Exclusive Water Rights
 Public Consultation before issuance of Project License
 Government land available on lease

13
Institutional Framework for Electricity Development as "One Window"

 Issuance of Survey & Survey licenses

 Provision of tax concessions & incentives
 Assistance in importing goods, land permits, approvals etc.
 Regulation and monitoring of projects

Incentive Income Tax

 Generation: - 15 years tax holiday

 Transmission: - 10 years tax holiday
 O& M Contracts: - 5-year tax holiday
 After tax holiday: - 10 percent less than period prevailing
 Foreign Lenders: - 50 percent capital cost allowance
 Equity Investors: - No tax on interest earned
 No tax on dividend

Import Concessions: -

 Plant and Equipment including Construction Equipment

 ~ 1% Custom Duty
 ~ No import License Fee
 ~ No sales Tax etc.

Repatriation of Foreign Exchange

 Principal and interest on debt

 Return on equity 14

 Sale of share equity

 Prevailing Market rates

Royalty Payments: For year from 1 to 15 year

 ~ On Install Capacity- NRs. 100/KW

14
  ~ On Energy Generated
 2% of Average Tariff/KWh per year after 15 years
 ~ On Install Capacity- NRs. 1000/KW
 ~ On Energy Generated- 10% of Average Tariff/KWh

Market:

 Domestic: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)

 Foreign: India ~ Under Power Exchange Agreement ~ Under Power
Trade Agreement between two countries
 Regional: Government ~ Probably under the Regional Co-operation
especially quadrangle concept

Nepal Government/ NEA Policy on Purchases from Small Project

The private sectors should do the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with NEA to sell the
energy produced. To promote the private sectors in national level and to provide the
opportunity to invest in the hydropower sectors for the Nepalese people, NEA has the
provision to purchase the energy of small hydropower plants with first priority.

Laws on Protection of Environment

Nepal has enacted several laws to safeguard its environment and combat environmental
degradation. These laws focus on preserving biodiversity, preventing pollution, and
promoting sustainable practices. Some key pieces of legislation include:

1. Environment Protection Act, 2076 (2019)

2. Forests Act, 2076 (2019)

15
3. National Parks and Wildlife Conservation Act, 2029 (1973)

4. Water Resources Act, 2049 (1992)

5. National Climate Change Policy, 2076 (2019)

2.2 NEED ANALYSIS OF STUDY

Nepal, being a developing country, power and energy is must for the development of the
country. The most appropriate method of producing electricity in Nepal is using
renewable energy like hydropower, as after all Nepal is a land of river and has great
variation in elevation within a short range. However huge amount of energy is wasted
throughout the country in river and stream flows. Despite its high range of potential,
Nepal hasn’t been able to generate available power in rivers and streams. Energy
consumption patterns shows that we are still relaying heavily on the biomass based
conventional energy (64%) and we are using only 5 % of electricity and 3 % of other
renewable these days. So, to achieve the sustainable goal 7(affordable and clean energy)
by 2030, Nepal has targeted accessibility of 99% of household to get electricity,
generation of 15,000 MW of installed capacity and increasing per capita electricity
capacity to 1500 kWh (GoN NPC,2017). To get this electricity energy target to become
self-sustained in energy the more and more hydropower development is necessary in
country’s context.

2.3 COMPONENTS OF HYDROPOWER PLANTS IN ROR

 Headworks: Headworks are all the structural components to divert water from
river and to draw sediment free water in a hydropower project.
 Intake: An opening to draw flow from the river; provided with trash-rack screen
to prevent entry to floating debris and coarse bed load into the water conveyance
system. It is equipped with a control gate to regulate flow down the conveyance
system under various flow conditions in the main river.

16
 Approach canal: These structures lead the discharge from river to gravel trap and
from gravel trap to the settling basin.
 Gravel trap: Structure to intercept bed load carried by the diverted flow. It is
equipped with gravel flushing gate followed by a flushing canal to discharge the
trapped gravel particles back to the river. A lateral side spillway also can be
located in this structure to spill excess flow entering from the intake during high
floods.
 Settling basin: An approach canal conveys water from the gravel trap to the
settling basin. It settles suspended sediment contained in the water. The settled
sediment is subsequently discharge back into the river through a flushing
arrangement consisting of flushing gate/valve and canal.
 Dam/Weir: A dam or weir is a barrier constructed across a river or stream to
control the flow of water and create a reservoir. Dams are typically taller and can
store larger volumes of water, while weirs are lower structures that allow water to
flow over the top. In a PROR hydropower plant, the dam or weir raises the water
level to create potential energy and controls the flow to ensure a steady supply of
water for power generation during peak demand periods.
 Reservoir: A reservoir is a large, artificial or natural lake used to store water. It is
formed by damming a river or stream. The reservoir stores water during times of
low demand and releases it during periods of high electricity demand. This allows
the plant to generate electricity consistently and efficiently, even when river flow
is variable.
 Head pond/Forebay: A head pond is a basin area of hydropower plant where
water is temporarily stored before going into intake chamber. The storage of
water in fore-bay is decided based on required water demand in that area. This is
also used when the load requirement in intake is less. We know that reservoirs are
built across the rivers to store the water; the water stored on upstream side of dam
can be carried by penstocks to the power house. In this case, the reservoir itself
acts as head pond.

17
  Headrace conveyance system: Headrace may be a canal/pipe/tunnel or a
combination of these for the purpose of delivering design flow to the fore-bay or
surge tank with minimum energy loss.
 Penstock: Penstocks conveys design flow under pressure to the turbine/s with a
minimum head loss. Anchor blocks and saddle supports are provided to stabilize
forces acting on the penstock pipes.
 Anchor Blocks/ Saddle support: These are the structures made up of either stone
masonry or reinforced concrete which is used to hold the penstock pipe in its
alignment and restrain its movement in all direction.
 Powerhouse: Houses with electricity generating units, switch gear and control
equipment.
 Tailrace: Disposes the design flow discharged by hydraulic turbines after power
generation.

CHAPTER III

3. METHODOLOGY

3.1 DESCRIPTION OF THE STUDY AREA

Rudi Khola Hydropower Project is located at Madi Rural Municipality, ward no. 9, Kaski
district Gandaki Province. The Rudi Khola originates from Annapurna Range. The study
area is located approximately 50 km from Mahendrapool, Pokhara. The area is connected

18
to Pokhara by a motorable road. Alignment will be selected based on our desk study and
field visit.

Figure 6: Project area (source; Google earth pro)

Following shows the methodology flowchart for a complete hydropower project:

19
 Figure 7: Flowchart for hydropower planning and investigation (Baral, 2016)

Following represents the Methodology Flowchart that is to be followed during the

pre-feasibility study:

20
 Start

Consultation with Supervisor

Literature Review

Collection of Data:
Desk study,Topographical
Survey,Hydrological Survey

Data Analysis

Component Design

Component Drawing

Economical analysis

Feasible?

No Yes

Further Investigation

Figure 8: Flowchart for prefeasibility study for hydropower plant (DoED,2018).

The hydropower planning and investigation is carried out in series of the stages that is
shown in the figure 7 and for prefeasibility is shown in figure 8. First the desk study/

21
reconnaissance study is carried out along with expert consultation and then for the
completion of pre-feasibility studies, the following steps are carried out:

3.2 DATA COLLECTION

Under this phase, we collect and review topographical maps of the site, available reports
relevant to the project, Guidelines provided by Department of electricity generation
(DOED), Hydrological Data from Nepal Department of Hydrology and Meteorology
(DHM) and other general information about the site.

3.3 ANALYSIS AND PLOTTING

Study is done for analyzing the data, making the tentative layout of the project
considering various aspect like flow, head and other constraints in desk study. The
plotting of final alignment from preliminary survey and the hydrological study data are
incorporated in Prefeasibility study.

3.4 DESIGN AND DRAWING OF COMPONENTS OF SYSTEM

After the selection and fixing the alignment and different component of the hydropower
system, the hydraulic design is done on the basis of the prevailing codes and guidelines to
fix the size of the components. The uplift criteria, stability criteria are checked for the
components as per necessary. The component’s structure size is governed by uplift
criteria. The drawings are prepared according to the design.

3.5 COST ESTIMATION

Quantities of various items of works are calculated and rate analysis is performed using
Kaski district’s Norms for rate of various materials to be used in implementation phase
and final cost estimation of project is calculated.

3.6 FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

The Revenue is calculated from the Monthly Energy produced and the financial analysis
is carried out to find the financial indicators like IRR and B/C ratio which is responsible
for decision between further progress or rejection of the project.

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4. EXPECTED OUTPUT

 Selection of hydropower alignment among alternatives.

 Design, sizing and drawings of various components of the hydropower plant.
 Rough estimate of costs of all components for the development of hydropower
and calculation of financial indicators like IRR, payback period and B/C ratio.
 Final appraisal of the project for further study.

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CHAPTER IV

3. TIME LINE OF STUDY

Figure 9: Time schedule of project

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CHAPTER V

REFERENCES

 Adhikari, D. (2014). nrb.org.np (Vol. 18, Part 4).

 Arora, K. R. (n.d.). Irrigation, water power and water engineering. Standard Pub.
And Distributors.
 Baral, S. (2016). Fundamental of hydropower engineering (3rd ed.).
 Department of Electricity Development. (2018). Guidelines for the study of
hydropower projects.
 Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission. (2017). Sustainable
development goals status and roadmap: 2016-2030.
 Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation. (2077).
 Modi, P. N., & Seth, S. M. (n.d.). Hydraulic and fluid mechanics. Standard Book
House.
 Nepal Electricity Authority. (2023). NEA annual report, 2022/2023.
 Nepal Electricity Authority. (2023). A year in review - Fiscal year 2022/2023.
 Nepal Electricity Authority, DCSD. (2023). A year book - Fiscal year 2022/2023.
 Nepal Electricity Authority, TMD. (2023, August). A year book - Fiscal year
2022/2023.
 Purnima, B. C. (n.d.). Irrigation and water power engineering (12th ed., revised).
Laxmi Publication Pvt. Ltd.
 Subramanya, K. (n.d.). Engineering hydrology (3rd ed.). Tata McGraw-Hill
Publication Company Ltd.
 Water and Energy Commission Secretariat. (2011). Assessment of hydropower
potential of Nepal.
 Water and Energy Commission Secretariat. (2019). Assessment of hydropower
potential of Nepal.
 Water and Energy Commission Secretariat. (2023). Nepal energy sector synopsis
report, 2023.

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 APPENDIX

APPENDIX A

Figure 10: Topographical Map of the study area (https://pahar.in/nepal-topo-maps/, retrieved 2024)

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