Client: Department of Energy (DoE), Bhutan.
NVE Mandate: Project formulation and procurement through international competitive bidding, with joint management and supervision of Consultants by NVE and DoE.
Contract Value/ Duration: MNOK 14.982 (100% Norad financed). Project period: July 2008 – June 2011.
Type of Activities: Consulting services for study and planning of hydropower projects selected from the Accelerated Hydropower Development Programme of Bhutan; procurement of services and supervision of consultants.
Work Completed 2010: Issue and review of consultant’s reports and progress reports. Planning for: i) Establishing laboratory for sediment sample testing in Eastern Bhutan, and; ii) Training of trainers for this laboratory.
Work in Progress 2010: Reconnaissance Surveys of hitherto unstudied hydropower sites; Pre-feasibility Studies of selected projects; NVE coordination and structured cooperation with DoE; Establishment of sediment sample testing laboratory in Eastern Bhutan.
Activities and Outputs:
2010 saw much activity in the study of the hydropower projects and by the end of the year the consultant was well on the way to completion of the studies. The Final Report is expected in January 2011.
The contracted work includes:
- Reconnaissance Surveys for unvisited sites under the Power System Master Plan of Bhutan (15 sites)
- Pre-feasibility Studies of project sites incl. Environmental Studies (2 sites).
One of the recommendations of the consultant was to enhance the sediment sample testing facilities in the country by refurbishing an existing sediment laboratory at the Kurichhu power plant in eastern Bhutan.
This would require institutional collaboration between the Department of Energy’s Hydromet Services Division and Druk Green Power Corporation who own the Kurichhu power plant. It was decided to implement this arrangement, procuring equipment for refurbishment of the old sediment laboratory under this hydropower development programme.
Training of trainers to work with staffing of the sediment laboratory would however be carried out at NVE, in Norway, under the institutional cooperation agreement.
Results/Outcome:
The major outputs of the studies (Final Report for Reconnaissance Study of 15 hydropower sites and Prefeasibility Study Report of 2 hydropower sites) are nearly completed, being expected in January 2011.
This will enable Bhutan to take next steps towards more detailed planning/ design and subsequent implementation of actual projects.
Training of trainers for the Kurichhu sediment laboratory in Eastern Bhutan was successfully carried out under the DoE/NVE institutional cooperation programme.