The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The proposed Punatsangchhu III hydropower project, planned with an installed capacity of 700–900 megawatts, six hours of peaking storage, and an annual design energy of 3,399 million units, is expected to be located with the dam site near Harachhu and the powerhouse just downstream of Rilangthang.
The final capacity will be determined during the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR).
Existing infrastructure developed under the Punatsangchhu I and II projects is expected to play a significant role in supporting the new development.
Facilities such as quarry sites, along with improved roads and bridges along the Wangdue–Tsirang highway, will be beneficial for the construction of Punatsangchhu III. In addition, the existing power evacuation lines for Punatsangchhu I and II may be explored for evacuating power from the new project.
Alternatively, a new transmission system built parallel to the existing lines could help reduce environmental and social impacts.
Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) is currently in the process of recruiting a consultant for the preparation of the DPR. On-site field mapping activities have already been initiated as part of the preliminary assessment process.
In terms of timeline, the preparation of the DPR is expected to take one to two years, followed by approximately another year to obtain approvals and carry out pre-construction activities.
If construction of the main civil works, including the dam, headrace tunnel, and powerhouse, begins by early 2029, the project is tentatively expected to be completed by 2033.
The P III project will benefit from the water stored in the P II and P I dams in winter adding to its generation.
The cabinet has given clearance to explore doing the Punatsangchu III project with the JSW Group of India.
The location of the project is just below the current 1,020 MW P II site and it can go up to 900 MW once the Detailed Project Report (DPR) is done.
No studies have been done yet and so the first step is a pre-feasibility study followed by the DPR.
The project will be a joint venture between Druk Green Power Corporation (DGPC) and JSW Group.
The JSW Group is a major conglomerate in India with a value of USD 23 billion invested in several areas but primarily known for their steel business.
They also have an energy company called JSW Energy and it is likely DGPC will be partnering with this company under the larger JSW Group.
JSW Energy has a generation capacity of 6,564 MW of which 3,158 MW is thermal power, 1,391 is hydropower, 10 MW is solar and 1.75 MW is pumped storage.
The ownership and terms will be similar to what has been offered to Tata and Adani so far.
