Iwa Khola — feasibility and development pipeline

The Iwa Khola Hydropower Project is a feasibility-stage run-of-river development of approximately 15.0 MW, planned for execution through Unitech Iwa Hydro Energy Pvt. Ltd., with Unitech Hydropower Company Limited holding a 51% ownership stake. The scheme spans Taplejung and Panchthar districts — extending the company's eastern Nepal pipeline beyond the operational Upper Phawa Khola asset.

Feasibility materials describe a gross head of 400.10 m and design discharge of 4.36 m³/s, combining a 4,382 m headrace tunnel, 503 m headrace pipe, 210 m adit tunnel, and 750 m penstock with a vertical Pelton turbine arrangement. A 132 kV transmission line approximately 22 km in length is planned for grid interconnection as the project advances through licensing and PPA processes.

Energy yield estimates indicate 26.26 GWh dry-season and 60.67 GWh wet-season contribution, with first-year revenue modelled at NPR 51.15 crore at feasibility level. Total project cost is estimated at NPR 336.7 crore (approximately NPR 22.44 crore per MW), with a three-year construction horizon, IRR of 13.22%, and benefit–cost ratio of 1.56 in base-case feasibility analysis.

The company continues environmental review, interconnection studies, and stakeholder consultation as the project moves through survey licence, IEE terms of reference, and connection-agreement milestones. Iwa Khola is positioned as Unitech's flagship growth project — converting feasibility engineering into a bankable, constructible run-of-river scheme for Nepal's developing grid.