Bhutan’s Farcical Punatsangchu-I Hydro Power Project

It is simply unbelievable!!! I mean, pray tell me, for how long can the PHPA Project people hope to continue to feed the Bhutanese people their cock and bull story about being able to stabilize a whole mountain with mortar and grout?

The absurdity of it all is so incredible that you begin to wonder – what really is happening here? What are the Bhutanese people not understanding that the Project people are so cock sure about?

When the first slide on the right bank of P-I dam site occurred during July of 2013, it became clear to me that the location of the dam and, therefore, the project itself, was unsafe and doomed to failure. Thereafter, year after year, I have been calling for its shutting down. Alas, today, 17 years since the project construction began in 2008, and after the project cost has escalated to close to a staggering Nu.88 billion from its initial budgetary allocation of Nu.35 billion, the project remains stalled – ten years beyond its planned date of completion slated for 2016!!!

Can it be that we are so naïve that we got the stick by its wrong end?

What is the possibility that the Punatsangchu-I Hydro Power Project will be considered a SUCCESS if, and only when, it FAILS and causes untold losses to life and property?

Back Home Safe & Sound!

I just got back from a grueling 5 days trip out to the East of the country – Trashiyangtse to be precise. As the Fund Administrator for a USA-based Fund that has been supporting the education of 4 Bhutanese school children for the past four years - three of whom are based in Trashiyangtse, I had to undertake the trip in order that I may deliver supplies to the children before the start of the 2026 academic session - beginning mid of this month.

I truly dreaded the trip – I mean this is thick of winter and I have to pass a number of seriously high mountain passes - such as the Thrumshing-La Pass located at an elevation close to 4,000 Mtrs.. I did not fancy the idea of having to negotiate the many snow-bound and ice-caked passes en route to the East. But man! one has gotta do what one has gotta do ….!

But I was in luck! The weather was beautiful …. The skies were sparkling blue and the road surfaces were devoid of snow or ice. For proof, see the following images I took during the trip:

Mt. Gungkhar Puensoom - Bhutan's highest mountain and the world's highest unclimbed peak - shinning bright in the morning sun - as seen from atop Shingner village close to Ura.

The beautiful Buddhist Chorten (stupa) atop the dreaded Throomshing-La Pass at close to 4,000 Mtrs. high. This mountain Pass is Bhutan's second highest motorable Pass.

Well, this year my luck held – I hope and pray that I am as lucky next year as well … and the year following next and the next and the next!!!! Or, may be … just may be … I can relocate the children to a less perilous location!

Starkly Contrarian Views

It is interesting how two Bhutanese newspapers of repute – Business Bhutan and TheBhutanese – pursues two starkly contrarian line of thinking on a common subject of national concern: Punatsangchu Hydropower Project-I.

In their issue of 17th January, 2026, Business Bhutan eulogizes the PHPA-I in following glowing terms:

“The Punatsangchhu-I project is a story of ambition, perseverance, and regional partnership – an engineering marvel that is poised to leave a lasting mark on the hydropower landscape of South Asia. As the final block rises on the right side of the dam, Bhutan edges ever closer to realizing one of its most ambitious energy dreams.”

TheBhutanese, on the other hand, leaves nothing to imagination when, in their paper dated October 12, 2024 quotes the following as having been said by Dr Yash Pal Shardha, a retired, senior Engineering Geologist of the Geological Survey of India:

“This project (referring to PHPA-I) is the best example of deceit and dishonesty by project people. A very good investigative Detailed Project Report at one place was done but the project was shifted to another place without conducting any investigation and whatever investigations were done were cooked up data knowing fully well we are going to face problems and we went for the tender stage and drilled a few holes and the project started for construction and now see fate of the project and will it ever be completed.”

As for me, I have already written 81 blogs on the subject of our hydroelectric projects .... to say any more would be nothing short of flogging the dead horse!