The Makari Gad hydropower project located in Darchula District has successfully commissioned in March 2023, and boasts an impressive set of features. With a gross head of 900m, it is the hydropower project with the highest head in operation in Nepal. The station output is 2 x 5,0MW and the electro-mechanical equipment has been supplied by Wasserkraft Volk AG (WKV), a leading hydropower specialist from Germany.

The project was initiated by a well-­established company from Nepal and was later joined by two developing partner companies from Sri Lanka. Building the civil works for the project, especially the head­works­, penstock pipeline, and trans­mission line, was no easy task. In particular, the lack of access roads­ for the complete headworks with heavy rainfall during monsoon and penstock works made transpor­tation of construction materials extremely challenging. The construction team had to transport each cement bag from the powerhouse to the headworks area via ropeways and mules. They even disassembled and ­reassembled a complete excavator for the headworks. Despite these difficulties, the team completed the project in just two and a half years to an exceptionally high level of quality that can compete with hydropower projects anywhere in the world.

Keeping losses at a minimum
Another unique challenge of the project was the 27km long transmission line. The analysis led to the conclusion that building a 33kV transmission line with poles would be easier and cheaper than a 132kV transmission line, which would require costly towers. Although losses in such a long transmission line at the 33kV level are higher, the use of special conductor ropes with an above-average diameter has helped keep the losses at a minimum.

Complete package by WKV
WKV was contracted to provide the electro­-mechanical equipment for the project powerhouse due to their reputation for delivering high-quality, reliable equipment. WKV is the only supplier manufacturing turbines and ­generators under one roof in Germany and can grant a warranty of 5 years. The turbines, generators, governing system, and control ­system, including the SCADA system, were all manufactured by WKV in Germany, ­providing unique advantages and benefits for the customer in terms of operation and ­maintenance. The customer has already been operating other hydropower plants with WKV equipment for more than 20 years and can attest to the fact that power generation is consistent even after 20 years of operation. This has led to profitable investments and ­ensured maximum energy generation within the limited PPA period in Nepal.

Highly Efficient Technology
The Makari Gad project demonstrates WKV‘s expertise across its product range in Nepal. WKV installed two low-head Francis ­turbines with only 35m head in another Nepali ­project, which has been in operation since 2022. With Makari Gad, WKV has now put into operation a project with an extreme ­opposite head of 900m and a discharge of both turbines of only 1.35m³/s. Although the Nepalese market is large, it is also ­challenging, but WKV has been a leading player in the market for over 20 years. WKV entered the Nepalese market 20 years ago and worked with a Nepalese company on the first hydropower project in Nepal, realised by a private investor.

Profitable Investment
Makari Gad is proof that when real specialists work together, outstanding results can be achieved. Hydropower is an investment ­business, and the profitability of this business depends primarily on the reliability of the E&M equipment, which generates energy for the next few decades. Therefore, it is crucial to install only the best possible equipment to achieve the highest profitability of the investment.