The Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Project in Rasuwa, built under the leadership of Chilime Hydropower Company, a subsidiary of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), has come back into partial operation after undergoing repairs.

The project had sustained major damage to its dam and headworks after a glacial lake outburst flood (GLOF) from the Lhende River in Tibet on July 8.

Following repairs to the headworks, one of the three units at the powerhouse was brought into operation from Saturday by temporarily diverting the river. The project, which has an installed capacity of 111 MW, now generates 37 MW from the functioning unit.

According to NEA Managing Director Manoj Silwal, the remaining two units will be brought online within a month, while the remaining reconstruction of the headworks area will be completed before the next monsoon season. He said the project’s revival was made possible through the dedicated efforts of officials and staff from NEA, Chilime, and Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company. “With electricity generation resuming, winter demand management will become relatively easier,” he added.

The flood had swept away machines and equipment such as logs, debris-blocking systems, gates, and other components in the headworks area. Buildings around the headworks were buried under more than two meters of sludge, large boulders had washed in, and structures built to divert water into the tunnel were damaged. The tailrace, used to discharge water after generation, was filled, submerging the turbine floor completely.

On the day of the disaster, 22 workers at the hydropower site were rescued by an Army helicopter from the headworks and residential areas. The staff housing area was entirely swept away. The landslide triggered by the flood also blocked several sections of the main road from Syafrubesi to the project site.

The project had begun commercial electricity production on December 31, 2024, but operations had been halted since the flood in July. Once fully operational, the project is expected to generate 613.87 million units of electricity annually, bringing in an estimated Rs 3.25 billion in yearly revenue for the company.