The
Austrian minister for foreign affairs, Dr. Ursula Plassnik and the prime
minister, Lyonpo Yeshey Zimba, will jointly inaugurate the lower stage
of the Basochhu Hydro Project in Wangduephodrang, today.
The
foreign minister who arrived in the country yesterday with a 12-member
delegation including the director general of the Austrian Development Cooperation
received an audience from His Majesty the King yesterday. Dr. Plassnik
also called on the prime minister and foreign minister, Lyonpo Khandu Wangchuk.
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Described
as a landmark of cooperation between Austria and Bhutan, the 64 MW Basochhu
Hydro Project completed with assistance from the Austrian government will
supply power for domestic consumption to the western dzongkhags of Thimphu,
Punakha, Wangdue, Paro and Haa.
The
construction of the lower stage or the phase II of the Basochhu project
was started in March 2002. |
|
The
lower stage is built at a cost of Nu. 1,422 million (2001-2002 pricing)
of which 90 percent of the loan is provided by Austria making it the biggest
Austrian-Bhutan cooperation project. With the total production capacity
of 40 megawatts, the lower stage is already supplying 32 megawatts of power
to the domestic western grid since September 2004. The Basochhu power will
be linked with Kurichhu supply at Gelephu to form an integrated national
power transmission grid.
March
2005
