The contractor won the Rs 688 Cr. (US$137M) contract for the MC3 package of works, which are to be completed in 66 months for the 1,200MW project.
The plant is being built on the river Punatsangchhu in Wangdue Phodrang Dzongkhag in the west of the Himalayan country. It is the first of 10 hydro power projects to be developed jointly by India and Bhutan by 2020, and which are to have combined installed capacity of approximately 11.5GW.
The Indian contractor is to excavate the headrace tunnel, surge sgaft, butterfly valve chamber, pressure shafts, powerhouse and tailrace tunnel on the Punatsangchhu-I project. The MC3 package also includes hydro-mechanical works.
Recently, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) was awarded a Rs.1245 Cr. (US$248M) contract to build the dam for the project as well as a diversion tunnel, intake and desilting arrangements, including hydro-mechanical works. The contract period is also 66 months. Engineering and design consultant is WAPCOS Ltd.
The contract awards for HCC and L&T follows their recent completion of works on the 1,020MW Tala project in Bhutan.
Last year, Tata Power Trading Co (TPT) and SN Power announced plans to work together on hydro power project development in Bhutan as well as Nepal and India. SN Power is a joint venture of Norwegian utility Statkraft and compatriot Norfund, a risk capital investor.
In India, HCC in recent months was awarded contracts on the Kashang, Kishanganga and Teesta VI hydro power projects.
