Projects worth 885 MW get licenses

Projects worth 885 MW get licenses
eKantipur.com, 29-April-2007

Upon recommendation by Department of Electricity Development, the Ministry of Water Resources (MoWR) has issued survey licenses for five projects totaling 885 megawatts (MW) in the last couple of weeks, according to MoWR Joint-Secretary

Anup Kumar Upadhyay, who is also the ministry's spokesperson.

Among projects for which survey licenses have been issued are the 165 MW Dudhkoshi in Khotang district, the 180 MW Upper Karnali 'A' located at the confluence of Tila and Karnali Rivers, the 58 MW Seti in Bajhang district, and the 207 MW Tamakoshi II and 275 MW Tamakoshi III in Dolakha district.

The ministry has awarded survey license for Dudhkoshi to Awantika Group of India, while the survey license for Upper Karnali 'A' was awarded last week to Himalayan Power, also an Indian company.

Similarly, licenses for the two Tamakoshi projects were awarded to Statfraft Norfund Power (SN Power), a Norwegian Company, while license for Seti has been awarded to an Indian company.

Among other sizeable projects for which licenses are to be awarded soon are the 402 MW Arun III and the 300 MW Upper Karnali.

A high-level committee formed by the government last year to evaluate applications for the two project as well as for the 600 MW Budhi Gandaki project, recommended last Friday that the government award licenses for both Arun III and Upper Karnali to India's GMR Group. However, the committee made no recommendation for Budhi Gandaki as all applications for the project were found to be sub-standard.