The consultant’s responsibility will be to ensure that the DPR is aligned with international standards and best practices, making it technically sound, financially bankable, and fully compliant with the Bhutan Guidelines for Development of Hydropower Projects 2018 (Revised 2024).
The consultant will also play a vital role in validating the work completed by DGPC and providing necessary technical guidance throughout the process. Beyond the engineering and technical scope, the consultant will be tasked with preparing an ESIA that meets the international safeguard requirements of multilateral development banks, including the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. The ESIA must reflect the scale and significance of the project’s potential environmental, economic, and social impacts. It should identify potential risks and outline appropriate strategies for avoidance, minimization, or mitigation.
The consultant will also be required to develop comprehensive management plans to address adverse impacts and recommend measures to enhance the project’s overall environmental and socio-economic benefits. An essential component of this consultancy is the establishment of a collaborative and effective working relationship between DGPC’s engineers and the consultant’s team. This partnership will be instrumental in ensuring the successful completion of the DPR and in facilitating the transfer of technical expertise and knowledge to DGPC, thereby strengthening its institutional capacity. The full scope of services is detailed in the Terms of Reference (refer Section VII of the Request for Proposals (RFP)). The detailed Terms of Reference (ToR) are available at: https://www.drukgreen.bt/tender/.
A Pre-Feasibility Study (PFS) of the Khomachhu hydropower project on the river Khomachhu, upstream of its confluence with the Kurichhu River, was conducted by Norplan in June 2011. This study foresaw an intake approximately 8 km upstream of the village of Khoma. The design included an underground powerhouse near Khoma, with the tailrace outlet discharging into the Kurichhu, about 1 km downstream of the Khomachhu-Kurichhu confluence. A subsequent review of PFS 2011 led DGPC to propose relocating the powerhouse upstream of the site identified in the 2011 PFS, with the aim to construct a surface powerhouse instead of the originally proposed underground powerhouse with a long tailrace tunnel. The decision was primarily driven by the need to shorten the tailrace tunnel, enhance overall project efficiency, and reduce potential social impacts. Based on the revised layout, DGPC has initiated geotechnical investigations to support the updated design. The topographical survey has already been completed, and exploratory core drilling and drifting activities at the dam site are currently in progress.
The procurement process will be conducted in accordance with the Quality and Cost Based Selection
(QCBS) method, as specified in the Request for Proposals (RFP) documents, and is open to all eligible
consulting firms as defined in the RFP. Interested eligible consultants may obtain further information and inspect the RFP documents at the address provided below during office hours. Proposals may be submitted electronically in PDF format by 15.00 hours on 14 July to: Sonam Choden, Manager, Contracts Section, Projects and Contract Department, Druk Green Power Corporation Limited, Post Box No. 1351, Motithang, Thimphu, Bhutan; Tel.: +975-2-339875; E-mail: s.choden272@drukgreen.bt
