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Dudhkoshi Storage — NEA Proposal & Feasibility Record

Page status
Working page
Updated
2026-05-12

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Summary

Reference compilation for the Dudhkoshi Storage Hydroelectric Project, covering the original 1980s ADB-supported feasibility, the 2021 restart with land acquisition, the 2024 NEA construction proposal to government, and the 2024–2025 financing conversations with AIIB.

Key Data Points

  • Capacity: 635 MW (NEA / Investopaper) or 670 MW (ELC / Power Technology) — design basis varies between the two references
  • Main powerhouse: 600 MW underground + 70 MW dam-toe ecological flow unit
  • Annual energy (design): 3,377–3,444 GWh/year
  • Dam: 200–220 m height at Lamidanda / Rabhuwaghat
  • Headrace tunnel: 13.3 km, reservoir to Dhitung powerhouse
  • Active reservoir volume: 1.581 MCM (per Power Technology)
  • Estimated total cost: ~USD 2.2 billion (~NPR 308 billion)
  • Districts: Okhaldhunga, Khotang, Solukhumbu
  • Developer: Nepal Electricity Authority
  • Financing track: AIIB sovereign funding proposed
  • Schedule: construction from ~2027, commercial operation ~2031 (ELC / Power Technology estimate)
  • Land: ~20,000 ropani private, ~162 households fully displaced, ~988 partially affected

Relevance to Project

Primary source for Dudhkoshi's technical envelope, financing posture, social footprint and timeline — the three axes on which its buildability will actually be judged. Note: two self-consistent but divergent capacity numbers (635 MW vs 670 MW) are present in respected secondary sources; this page records both.

Limitations

  • Capacity ambiguity: Two self-consistent but divergent capacity figures (635 MW vs 670 MW) exist across respected secondary sources; the design basis for each is not fully reconciled.
  • Seismic gaps: Detailed seismic design basis is not covered despite the project's proximity to Everest-region fault systems. Reservoir-induced seismicity modelling is absent.
  • GLOF integration unverified: The 2024 Thame GLOF in the same river system is directly relevant, but GLOF integration into the dam's design flood is not addressed.
  • Self-reported data: Cost, schedule, and social impact figures are drawn from secondary compilations of NEA/AIIB materials, not independent audit.
  • Pre-financing status: The AIIB sovereign funding is proposed, not committed; financing is not closed.

See also