Kathmandu: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has put forwarded an ambitious plan to construct power transmission network in order to increase the internal consumption of electricity produced in the country in the districts of Terai-Madhesh, which can consume about 4,000 megawatts of electricity.
By 2050, the NEA plans to build a high-capacity transmission line, substation and other infrastructure, taking into account the expansion of human settlements and industrial areas in the southern part of the districts of Madhesh province including Bara, Parsa, Rautahat, Mahottari, Dhanusha.
Out of the four circuits, in the initial phase, the transmission line corridor will be constructed with the upper two circuits of 400 KV and the lower two circuits of 132 KV. Substations will be constructed in places for local electricity supply. Currently, the route of the proposed transmission line and the location of the substation are being decided. Under the Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor, transmission network infrastructure will be constructed to consume about 3,200 megawatts of electricity in the Birgunj area and 800 megawatts in the Janakpur area. With this, there will be sufficient, reliable and quality electricity supply in the districts of Madhesh province, which have great potential for expansion of cities and industrial areas.
More than Rs 50 billion will be required for the construction of transmission lines and substations. Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of the Authority, said that this amount will be raised through the investment of Nepal Government and Nepal Electricity Authority, concessional loans from Exim Bank of India, Asian Development Bank and others.
A high-level team including executive director of the authority Ghising and consultants visited the site of the proposed line construction site on Saturday and Sunday and took information about possible places for the construction of 400 and 132 kV transmission lines and substations, electricity demand and consumption conditions.
Executive Director Ghising said that the South Corridor transmission line is going to be constructed in a phased manner to increase domestic consumption and to export the excess electricity consumed within the country to India. Cross-border transmission lines will be constructed for international electricity trade in phases. He further said, “Some transmission lines and substations are being built, some are starting immediately, while others are being constructed in the long term.”
He said that electricity can also be exported to Motihari, Sitamani, Jayanagar of India. The process has been advanced for the construction of 400 KV substation at Pokhria in Parsa and Nijgarh in Bara targeting the industries that are operating in the Bara-Parsa industrial corridor and will be in operational in the future. The same 400 kV line will be extended to Janakpur parallel to Postal Highway. Land has been acquired for the construction of a 132 KV substation in Prasauni.
To make the power supply of Janakpur region reliable and quality, a substation of 132 KV capacity is being constructed from Dhalkebar in Dhanusha to Loharpatti in Mahottari. 132 KV substation is under construction at Loharpatti. Likewise, Dhalkebar-Balganga 132 KV transmission line is also under construction.
