December 14, 2023: HCC has achieved the final milestone of wet commissioning of turbines at 118 MW Nikachhu Hydro Power Project in Bhutan on 14 December 2023. The wet commissioning has been achieved ahead of the target date of Bhutan’s National Day (17 December 2023) through the team effort with the Client, Tangsibji Hydro Energy Limited (THyE), a 100% subsidiary company of Druk Green Power Corporation Limited. The project has been synchronised to the grid for power generation, with commercial operation date of Unit-II from 25 January 2024 and Unit-I from 8 February 2024 respectively.
This is the fifth hydropower project built by HCC in Bhutan. The other hydropower projects include Kurichu (60 MW), Tala (1020 MW), Dagachhu (114 MW) and Punatsangchhu-I (1200 MW) hydropower projects.
The timely completion of this strategically important hydropower project speaks volumes about HCC’s capabilities, scale of operations, and commitment to the development of Bhutan. HCC team has soldiered to commission this project in the face of stiff challenges countering logistical, geological and climatic hurdles besides the COVID pandemic faced during 2020-21. Over nine decades of experience in developing crucial infrastructure have equipped us with the expertise to deliver this complex project.
The Nikachhu HEP is the second project built on an EPC basis in Bhutan after Dagachhu by HCC. It is located in the central part of Bhutan, at Lorim under Tangsibji Gewog in Trongsa, around 172 km from the capital city of Thimphu. The project stretches over 25 km from the dam at Lorim to the powerhouse at Norbuodi and has a 12.14 km Head Race Tunnel (HRT). With the construction of a 38 m high dam, 12.28 acres of land is inundated for 810 m water back-flow. The mean annual generation from the project is 540.73 MU, and 90% dependable energy production is 491.52 MU.
Sustainability has been an intrinsic focus of HCC during the construction of infrastructure projects in Bhutan, and the Company has taken various initiatives of development of local community and schools, support for communal peace & harmony and skills development for youth. These initiatives reiterated HCC’s commitment to Bhutan’s infrastructure and contributing to the country’s overall development.