Maintenance work at the 69 MW Marsyangdi Hydropower Plant located in Aanbukhaireni Rural Municipality–4 of Tanahun has been completed. After remaining fully shut down for 21 days for complex technical and civil maintenance works, the plant has resumed electricity generation within the scheduled timeframe.
The plant, operated under the Nepal Electricity Authority, is considered the third largest in terms of capacity and the second largest in terms of annual electricity production among the authority’s power plants. In the last fiscal year, it generated 451.7 gigawatt-hours of electricity. By the end of Magh in the current fiscal year 2082/83, the plant had already produced 293.5 gigawatt-hours. To ensure its sustainable operation, the plant was shut down from Falgun 2 to carry out the maintenance works.
During this shutdown, several long-pending and technically challenging tasks were completed. In particular, protective work was carried out on structures at risk due to erosion near the upper riverbank of the dam site and the desander area. In addition, the damaged structure of the “under-sluice gate,” which had remained non-operational for the past 14 years and is crucial for preventing sand from entering the tunnel, was repaired and made operational again. Sand that had accumulated for years in the compensating basin near the main intake was also removed during the maintenance period.
According to plant chief Kapildev Manjan, long-delayed contract works and mechanical maintenance were completed with high priority. He said that the overhaul of Unit No. 3 of the power house was carried out by the plant’s own staff along with technical personnel from other hydropower stations. For civil maintenance at the dam site, manpower was mobilized in three shifts, operating 24 hours a day.
Manjan said the maintenance was planned during a period of minimal river flow to reduce the impact on electricity production. He added that special coordination among the concerned offices, departments, and directorates, along with support from higher management, made it possible to complete several important civil works that had been pending for years. Despite some challenges in manpower management due to the ongoing elections, the work was completed on time with active cooperation from all sides.
During the shutdown period, additional electrical and mechanical maintenance works were also carried out at the power house, including the replacement of LT-type breakers. With the completion of these repairs, the plant’s production capacity is expected to improve while technical risks will be significantly reduced, Manjan said.
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