Tehri Hydro Development Corporation is expected to complete the update of the DPR for the Bunakha hydroelectric project located near village Bunakha in Chukha Dzong district in the Western Bhutan by September 2009.

The 180 MW project is to be constructed at the uppermost part of the Wangchhu River.

The survey and investigations for the project had already been completed by Water and Power Consultancy Services, a public sector consultancy firm, under the Union Ministry of Water Resources.

The Bunakha power project is proposed to be located around 3.5 kilometer upstream to the existing 336 MW Chukha hydel power plant. The project envisages the construction of a 188 meters high dam across the river Wangchu, in a gorge below the Bunakha village, to afford a live storage capacity of 105 million cubic meters.

It will have a power house at the toe of the dam, with three units of 60 MW each. The project is likely to provide 688 Gigawatt hour of energy per year, besides facilitating the generation of 101 GWh and 205 GWh respectively of additional power at the Chukha and Tala projects, located downstream.

(Sourced from Project Today)