The construction of the second largest 400 kV Inruwa substation has been completed, and it can transmit 4,000 megawatts of electricity
Kathmandu, October 17, 2023. In order to strengthen the electricity transmission and distribution system within the country, the construction of 400 KV Inruva Substation has been completed in Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari. The second largest automatic 400 kV substation of Nepal based on gas insulated system (GIS) was completed and charged on Monday.
According to the Electricity Authority, Dalkber is the country’s first and Inruva is the second largest substation with GIS technology for east-west electricity supply and electricity trade with India. Another substation of 220/132/33 KV in Inaruwa has already been completed and is in operation.
The 400/220 KV Inruva substation constructed under the Hetaunda-Dhalkebar-Inruva 400 KV substation expansion project has three power transformers of 315 MVA capacity. The capacity of which is 945 MVA. After the construction of Inruwa-Dhalkebar 400 kV transmission line is completed, about 4000 megawatts of electricity can be exchanged from Inruwa substation, the authority said. Wire pulling of Inruwa-Dhalkebar transmission line is currently underway.
Kulman Ghising, the managing director of the authority, said that the Inruwa substation is the backbone for the transmission of electricity produced by hydropower projects in various districts of Koshi province, for local consumption and for exporting the excess electricity consumed within the country to India.
In addition to the electricity flow in the national transmission system through the substation, local supply will also be done, the voltage of that area will be improved and the electricity supply will be reliable and quality. -Anarmani 400 kV transmission line has been proposed’, managing director Ghising said, ‘Inaruwa substation has become another big hub for east-west electricity supply and more electricity flow to India and regional electricity trade.’ Inruwa substation is considered important to give more electricity to the industries of Morang-Sunsari industrial corridor and to make the supply reliable and quality.
The electricity generated from the hydropower projects constructed/to be constructed on the Arun and Tamor rivers and their tributaries will be connected to the Inruva substation through the Koshi Corridor 220 KV transmission line. The construction of the Inruwa-Basantapur-Tumlingtar section of the Koshi corridor has been completed, while the Basantapur-Dhungesanghu section is under construction. Similarly, the Tumlingtar-Shetalpati 220 KV transmission line project is also under construction. It is proposed to construct Arun Hub-Inruwa 400 KV transmission line.
Shukra Devkota, the project head, said that the Inaruwa substation has been built in such a way that it can be further expanded in the future. The construction of the substation was affected due to the inundation of the Terai during the rainy season, restrictions and prohibitions imposed for the prevention and control of the global spread of Covid-19, as equipment and technicians could not come. Devkota, the project head, mentioned that the flood that occurred in the substation construction area in October 2018 damaged the equipment and had to be re-imported, which caused some delay in the construction.
Under the project, 400 KV Dhalkebar substation has been completed and is in operation, while Hetaunda substation is in the final stage of construction. A contract agreement was signed in December 2018 for the construction of Inaruwa and Hetaunda substations. The estimated cost of Inruwa substation, which was built with the investment of the Nepal government and the authority, is 14.3 million US dollars and 20 million 48 million rupees. The substation construction was supervised by NEA Engineering Company.
