Mugu Karnali Storage — Feasibility, Bids & EOI Record (2024–2025)

Summary

Reference compilation for the 1,902 MW Mugu Karnali Storage Hydroelectric Project — Nepal's largest proposed generation asset, in pre-feasibility under Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUC) and open to public–private partnership bidding.

Key Data Points

Capacity: 1,902 MW
Type: Storage / pumped-storage; 10 Francis turbines
Gross head: ~285 m
Design annual energy: ~5,883 GWh
River: Karnali
District: Mugu (registry); Bajura also referenced in early materials
Developer: Vidhyut Utpadan Company Limited (VUCL / VUC) — state-owned
Structure: PPP, VUC seeking 51% partnership stake
Survey licence: granted by DoED; 2-year feasibility deadline with extension possible to 5 years
Expressions of interest (2024–2025):
- Adani Group — EOI (no formal bid as of January 2025)
- Chowdhury Group (CG Energo Pvt Ltd) — formal bid submitted, only competitor on record as of January 2025
Planned schedule (Power Technology): construction from ~2030, COD ~2034

Relevance to Project

Primary source for Mugu Karnali's scale, schedule, bidding posture and the India-vs-Bangladesh developer interest that makes it politically visible. Notable because 1,902 MW is larger than Nepal's entire current operating hydropower fleet.

Limitations

Pre-feasibility stage: The project is at pre-feasibility; no detailed hydrology, sediment, or seismic study outcomes are published.
Transmission gap: A project of this scale implies new 400 kV or higher corridor infrastructure that does not yet exist; no evacuation plan is disclosed.
Environmental/social scoping absent: No full EIA has been disclosed; the project is at the expression-of-interest stage.
Bid landscape fluid: Only one formal bid (Chowdhury Group) is on record as of January 2025; the competitive landscape may shift.
Schedule aspirational: The 2030 construction / 2034 COD timeline is a Power Technology projection, not a committed project schedule.