132 kV line to stabilise Nepal power supply
Nepal Electricity Authority has started the construction of a 132 kV double circuit transmission line in eastern Nepal to connect the Koshi and Kabeli corridors.
Image for illustration purposes.
Nepal, Kathmandu: The 200 MW transmission line will connect the Amarpur substation, Panchthar with the Dhungesanghu substation, Taplejung. The NEA announced that the construction of the line is crucial to diverting power from one corridor to another if a problem arises in the transmission corridor.
The 132 kV Kabeli corridor starts at the Damak substation, Jhapa and is extended to the Amarpur substation, Panchthar. The 220 kV Koshi corridor connects the Inaruwa substation, Sunsari and Dhungesanghu substation, Taplejung. The Kabeli corridor has already come into operation, with the Inaruwa-Basantapur (Sankhuwasbha) section now operational and construction of the Basantapur-Dhungesanghu section in the final stages.
Several hydropower projects have either been built, are under construction or are planned along the transmission corridors. However, many of them have been victims of flooding and landslides. The construction of Amarpur-Dhungesanghu transmission line should ensure the reliability of supply from the projects developed along the watershed of the Kabeli river, which should enhance the credibility of the grid in eastern Nepal.
Besides the projects to be developed on the Kabeli river and in its watershed, those coming up in the watershed of Tamor River will also benefit from the new transmission line as electricity generated there can be evacuated through the Dhungesanghu substation.
The contract for the 19 km line was awarded last year. It will have 67 towers and cost an estimated Rs1.2 billion ($9 million). There will be 11 kV infrastructure at the Dhungesanghu substation to connect to local communities, for which a separate contract will be awarded in the current fiscal year. NEA plans to complete the project by the next fiscal year (2024-25).
Source: Kathmandu Post