SMEC has recently announced it has been awarded deals to work on hydropower and dam schemes in Nepal and Malawi.
The company revealed it has been awarded a contract by the Government of Nepal's Department of Electricity Development to provide detailed engineering designs and Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA) on the 20MW Budhi Ganga hydropower project.
Located on the Budhi Ganga River in the Far-Western Development Region of Nepal, this project is a run-of-river scheme designed to generate an average of 2520GWh per year. The objectives of the project are:
- To increase the electricity generation capacity of Nepal.
- Help meet growing load demands and reduce load shedding.
- Contribute to national economic and social development.
SMEC, in association with Udaya Consultancy, will provide review of existing feasibility and environmental impact study reports; detailed design of all civil works, hydraulic steel structures, electromechanical equipment, transmission lines and substations; and preparation of tender documents.
Meanwhile in Malawi, the company has also been engaged to conduct an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment and prepare a Resettlement Action Plan for the Diamphwe Multipurpose Dam in Lilongwe.
Being built to secure and improve water supplies to Lilongwe City and surrounding areas until 2035, the project will support large-scale irrigation and agriculture, fish farming and livestock production.
Project works comprise the construction of a 25m high RCC dam with a storage capacity of 150,000m3, a 170m spillway, water supply and irrigation intakes, 80km of pipeline, and a 1000 hectare irrigation scheme.
