Upper Trishuli 3B

Summary

Upper Trishuli 3B is a 37 MW under-construction Trishuli cascade project developed through a subsidiary company and distinct from NEA-owned Upper Trishuli 3A.

Upper Trishuli 3B is a 37 MW run-of-river hydropower project in the Trishuli cascade, developed under Trishuli Jal Vidyut Company Limited — a subsidiary corporate model distinct from the NEA's directly-owned Trishuli assets.

Distinction from Trishuli 3A

A persistent confusion in sector research conflates Upper Trishuli 3B (37 MW) with Upper Trishuli 3A (60 MW). The distinction is critical:

• Trishuli 3A (60 MW) is wholly owned, constructed, and operated directly by the NEA as an internal Generation Directorate asset. It has no commercial PPA — electricity is dispatched via internal transfer pricing based on cost of generation.
• Trishuli 3B (37 MW) is developed under a subsidiary corporate model and holds a standard commercial PPA at NPR 4.80/kWh (wet) and NPR 8.40/kWh (dry), consistent with the prevailing IPP tariff schedule.

Trishuli Cascade Dynamics

Upper Trishuli 3B is part of the larger Trishuli River cascade that includes multiple projects at different stages — from the operating Trishuli Devighat plant to the NEA-owned Upper Trishuli 3A (60 MW), the subsidiary Trishuli 3B (37 MW), and Super Trishuli (100 MW, under construction). The cascade's cumulative impact on Trishuli River flows, sediment transport, and downstream water availability makes coordination across entity boundaries important for system-level planning.

Build Cost Context

Industry analysis notes that projects in the Trishuli corridor, including Upper Trishuli 3B, have faced build costs exceeding NPR 200–250 million per MW — significantly above the NPR 172–175 million/MW benchmark set by optimal projects like Sahas Urja (Solu Khola, 86 MW).

Specifications

Limitations & Controversies

The page resolves the 3A/3B distinction and PPA context, but does not verify the latest construction percentage, COD, cost escalation, or hydrological coordination with adjacent Trishuli cascade assets.

See Also

• Run-of-River Hydropower
• Buildability
• Investigative Report: PPA Data Retrieval from ICRA & CARE Ratings Nepal

Sources

• Investigative Report: PPA Data Retrieval from ICRA & CARE Ratings Nepal