Kathmandu, 32 August 2078. Construction of the first section of Koshi Corridor 220 KV Transmission Line Project has been completed. The construction of 106 km 220 KV double circuit transmission line from Inaruwa of Sunsari to Tumlingtar of Sankhuwasabha has been completed. 326 towers have been constructed for the transmission line.
NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising informed that the infrastructure has been prepared for the flow of electricity to the 2,000 MW hydropower projects constructed in the Arun and Tamor river basins after the completion of the transmission line. The line will be operated (charged) at 33 KV from Tuesday.
“Until the construction of 220 KV substation in Inaruwa is completed, the line will be temporarily charged at 33 KV and electricity generated from private sector projects will be supplied to Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha and Tehrathum,” said Executive Director Ghising. “It has solved the problem of the transmission line that the region has been facing during the rainy season.”
The existing 33 KV line in Tirtire of Sankhuwasabha will be connected to the Koshi Corridor transmission line and the Chatra-Dharan 33 KV line at Dharan Sub-metropolis-17 of Sunsari. The projects in Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha and Tehrathum were not able to run at full capacity during the rainy season as the capacity of Tirtire-Basantapur-Dhankuta-Dharan 33 kV transmission line was not enough. The installed capacity of the projects is about 33 MW.
Project Chief Rajan Dhakal informed that three substations have been constructed in Tumlingtar of Sankhuwabha and Baneshwor and Basantapur of Tehrathum. “We have been able to work with the help and cooperation of all through continuous efforts by overcoming various obstacles during the construction phase,” he said.
The Koshi Corridor has been constructed to connect the hydropower projects to be constructed in Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Terhathum and Taplejung to the national transmission line with the concessional loan of the Government of Nepal, NEA and Exim Bank of India.
NEA has already signed Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) to connect 516 MW of electricity of 28 private sector projects to this transmission line. These projects are in various stages of construction.
In the first package of the corridor, Inaruwa-Basantapur-Waneshwor-Tumlingtar 220 KV double circuit transmission line has been constructed. The estimated cost is ७५ 37.5 million. In the second package, 220 KV substations have been constructed in Inaruwa, Basantapur, Vaneshwar and Tumlingtar. The estimated cost of the package is ३ 25.3 million.
In the third package, work is underway for the construction of Basantapur-Dhungesanghu (Taplejung) 35 km transmission line. The construction of 132 towers is targeted to be completed by next January.
