Punatsangchhu-II Hydropower Project

About Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project (PHEP-II):

• It is a 1 GW run-of-the-river hydroelectric power-generating facility under construction in the Wangdue Phodrang district of Bhutan.
• It is located on the right bank of the Punatsangchhu River.
• The project is being developed by the Punatsangchhu II Hydroelectric Project Authority, under an Inter-Government Agreement (IGA) between the Royal Government of Bhutan and the Government of India.
• Specifications:
  • It involves the construction of a 91m-high and 223.8m-long concrete gravity dam, along with an 877.46m-long and 12m-diametre diversion tunnel with a discharge capacity of 1118 cubic metres per second.
  • The project also involves a 168.75m-long and 22m-high upper cofferdam and a 102.02m-long and 13.5m-tall downstream cofferdam.
  • The Punatsangchhu II hydroelectric power plant will comprise an underground powerhouse which will be equipped with six Francis turbines of 170 MW capacity each. 
  • On commissioning of all six units, the expected annual power generation will be 4,357 million units of electricity.
• Funding: It is funded by the Government of India (GoI): 30% grant and 70% loan at 10% annual interest, repayable in 30 equated semi-annual installments commencing one year after the mean date of operation.
• All the surplus power from the project will be exported to India. 

Q1: What is the capacity of the Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project (PHEP-II)?

It is a run-of-the-river hydroelectric power-generating facility of 1020 MW capacity.

Source: CNBC