His Majesty the King Thursday inaugurated the Kaligandaki ‘A’ hydropower project amid a function held at Beltari-9 in Srikrishnagandaki VDC, Syangja. Queen Komal also graced the ceremony. The 144-megawatt Kaligandaki ‘A’ is the biggest power project in Nepal.
Addressing the inaugural ceremony, Prime Minister Surya Bahadur Thapa said the government is committed to make good use of abundant water resources available in the country. “The governments policies will be commensurate to its pledges,” he said.
Beginning in 1990, construction of Kaligandaki ‘A’ was completed in August 2002 with a cost of US$360 million. The hydel project has fetched nearly Rs.450 million in revenue since it started commercial production. The electricity generated from the project is connected to the national grid, linking it to substations in Pokhara and Butwal.
Japanese ambassador to Nepal Jenji Kaminaga was also present at the inaugural function.