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Butwal Solar (Ridi Hydropower Development, 8.5 MWp)

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Registry record
Updated
2026-05-13

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Early-round IPP utility solar plant developed by Ridi Hydropower Development Co. Ltd., commissioned ~2020 under the 5-developer 24 MWp competitive-bid round that constituted Nepal's first utility-scale solar IPP cycle.

Summary

Butwal Solar is an 8.5 MWp operating IPP utility solar plant in the Rupandehi/Butwal area. The page places it in Nepal's first utility-scale solar IPP cycle and the early Terai grid-adjacent siting pattern.

Specifications

Item Value
Capacity 8.5 MWp
Location Rupandehi District, Lumbini Province (Butwal area)
Owner / Developer Ridi Hydropower Development Co. Ltd.
Zone (Solar Resource Geography of Nepal) B2 — Western Terai / Lumbini edge
Interconnection Rupandehi 33 kV
Commissioning ~2020
PPA tariff Phase I round (NPR 7.30–8.40/kWh band)
Site elevation ~200 m
Expected annual generation ~13–14 GWh/yr
Status Operating

Why it matters

Butwal Solar is one of three plants from the 2016–17 Phase I IPP round that reached COD (the others: Mithila Solar PV Electric Project (Eco Power, 10 MWp) and Bishnu Priya Solar Farm (Surya Power, ~1 MWp)). Together they proved:

  1. IPP-delivered utility solar works in Nepal. The first round successfully moved three plants from PPA to COD within 3–4 years, validating the procurement model NEA expanded in Phase III and IV.
  2. Terai grid-adjacency is the default archetype. All three surviving Phase I plants were in Terai districts adjacent to 33 kV substations, validating the siting logic later encoded in the NEA 960 MW National Solar Tender.
  3. Phase I tariffs (~NPR 8/kWh) are now above market. By Phase IV (NEA 960 MW National Solar Tender), the same IPP structure clears at ~NPR 6/kWh. Phase I plants are legacy-high-priced relative to today's tender, but their PPAs are locked in and they continue to operate.

Limitations & Controversies

The page is strongest on programme cohort, approximate scale, and siting logic. Exact plant-level generation, COD documentation, PPA tariff, availability, and land/interconnection details should be verified from project or NEA records before detailed financial or performance use.

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