Amid deepening energy crisis, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is preparing to launch the Budhi Gandaki storage project of 600 MW strength. The project site is located around 68 km away from the capital valley. According to cost estimates, the project could cost around $ 1.5 billion. Earlier, the project was pipelined to start in eight years. The study of NEA indicated that 225 m tall dam needs to be constructed  near Benighat of Dhading district for this project.