Technical teams from India and Bhutan are assessing stabilization methods for the right bank slip as part of a collaborative technical evaluation for the 1,200 MW PHPA-I project. In order to solve the problem, both nations have decided to move on with the dam’s construction while incorporating the required stabilization measures. According to a MoENR representative, sessions of the Technical Coordination Committee are where technical discussions take place. The results of the first round of borehole drilling have been finished and are presently being examined. The MOENR official stated that only once these actions are finalized will the schedule for starting and finishing the stabilization measures be decided. The finalized measures will specify the extent and intricacy of the necessary task.
The Bhutanese government suggested building a barrage as a workable substitute for a dam. The barrage was determined to be viable at a location 2.6 km upstream from the existing dam site by a DPR made by the Swiss company Stucky, which came at a cost of Nu 150 million. From the original project cost of Nu 35 billion, the PHPA-I cost overrun has risen to an astounding Nu 100 billion. Approximately Nu 86 billion has been spent thus far. The governments of Bhutan and India have a bilateral agreement that benefits both parties, which is being used to carry out the Punatsangchhu-I project. In November 2008, the project’s construction got underway.