Shimla, April 23: India’s Union Minister for Power, Hon’ble Manohar Lal, and Nepal’s Minister of Energy, Hon’ble Deepak Khadka, recently visited the under-construction 900 MW Arun-3 Hydroelectric Project in Nepal. The project is being implemented by SJVN Arun-3 Power Development Company (SAPDC), a wholly owned subsidiary of SJVN.
R.K. Choudhary, Chairman and Managing Director (Additional Charge) of SJVN, welcomed the Indian Power Minister at Kathmandu Airport and accompanied the delegation to the project site. The visit also included His Excellency Naveen Srivastava, Ambassador of India to Nepal; Suresh Acharya, Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Government of Nepal; Akash Tripathi, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Power, Government of India; Sushil Gyawali, CEO of Nepal’s Investment Board; and other senior officials from both governments.
During the site visit, the ministers inspected the powerhouse, including ongoing turbine assembly work. Prashant Sharma, CEO of SAPDC, briefed the delegation on the current status of the powerhouse construction. The ministers expressed appreciation for the pace and quality of the work and encouraged the project teams to maintain momentum for timely completion. Following the inspection, both ministers jointly inaugurated the electro-mechanical works of Unit #2.
The delegation also visited the dam site, where they reviewed ongoing construction activities and inspected the Head Race Tunnel (HRT) via Edit 1. Excavation of the 11.7 km-long HRT was completed in June 2024 and had earlier been commended by Nepal’s then Prime Minister. Bench work and tunnel lining are currently underway and expected to be completed in the coming months.
The ministers expressed satisfaction with the progress on the HRT and urged SAPDC personnel to intensify their efforts on the dam construction to ensure the project is delivered on schedule.
