Power cuts hit Rasuwa and nearby districts as repair teams respond to floods that damaged hydropower stations, a solar plant and transmission infrastructure.
Severe flooding in Nepal’s Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on Wednesday damaged operational and under-construction electricity projects with a combined capacity of 901.1 megawatts, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation said.
Twelve operational projects with a combined capacity of 431.1 MW were affected, comprising 406.1 MW of hydropower generation and a 25 MW solar plant, according to the ministry.
The affected facilities include the Rasuwagadhi, Chilime, Upper Trishuli 3A, Trishuli, Devighat, Sanjen Khola, Sanjen, Mailung Khola, Salasungi Sanjen and Langtang Khola projects. A 220 kV substation in Nuwakot was also damaged.
Rajan Dhakal, spokesperson for the Nepal Electricity Authority, said the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project was among the facilities worst hit by the flooding.
The NEA-built project had been devastated by floods last year and had only recently resumed full-fledged operation.
The 25 MW solar project in Nuwakot has also gone offline, while the district’s 220 kV substation sustained damage.
The floods also severely affected 15 projects under construction, including Upper Trishuli-1, Rasuwa-Bhotekoshi, Upper Mailung, Upper Trishuli 3B and Middle Trishuli Ganga.
Together, the projects under construction represent 470 MW of future generation capacity.
Electricity supply has been completely halted in Rasuwa district, while Nuwakot, Dhading and Gorkha are experiencing partial disruptions.
Dhakal said the Nepal Electricity Authority had deployed technical teams to restore power as quickly as possible.
The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority said the flood in Rasuwa was triggered by the sudden release of a river in Tibet that had been blocked by an avalanche.
The disaster came exactly one year after another catastrophic flood in the same region.
On July 8, 2025, flooding from Tibet’s Lende River merged with the Bhotekoshi, killing nine people and leaving 19 missing.
That flood destroyed the Friendship Bridge linking Nepal and China, damaged the Rasuwagadhi dry port and hydropower facilities and swept away sections of the Syabrubesi-Rasuwagadhi road.
The ministry listed the affected operational electricity projects as Rasuwagadhi with 111 MW in Rasuwa, Salasungi Sanjen with 78 MW in Rasuwa, Upper Sanjen with 14.8 MW in Rasuwa, Sanjen with 42.5 MW in Rasuwa, Mailung Khola with 5 MW in Rasuwa, Langtang with 20 MW in Rasuwa and Chilime with 22 MW in Rasuwa.
Upper Mailung, with a capacity of 14.8 MW, was also among the affected projects.
In Nuwakot, the affected facilities were the 60 MW Upper Trishuli 3A, 24 MW Trishuli, 14 MW Devighat and the 25 MW solar project.
The total affected operational capacity stood at 431.1 MW.
Source: Republica
