Kathmandu, 27 Nov 2023. Basantpur substation constructed in Dharmadevi Municipality of Sankhuwasabha under the Koshi Corridor 220 kilovolt (KV) transmission line project has come into operation.
The Nepal Electricity Authority has brought into operation the Basanthapur Substation, constructed at an altitude of 2,450 meters above sea level, through a 220/132/33 kV capacity on Sunday. Under the same project, the Inaruwa and Sankhuwasabha’s Tumlingtar and Baneshwar 220 kV substations have been operational since last year’s month of mid Jul-mid Aug (Shrawan). For the construction of these substations, there was a contract agreement with the Indian company L&T in July 2075, worth 26.1 million US dollars.
Managing Director of the Authority, Kulman Ghising, highlighted that in the Koshi Province, private sectors in Taplejung, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, and Bhojpur districts are involved in constructing and operating hydroelectric projects, generating electricity, which is then transmitted into the national grid for distribution through the backbone prepared in the form of a transmission line.
The transmission lines and substations have been prepared, but the situation demands running the 220 kV lines on lower capacity due to the inability to construct hydroelectric projects,” stated Managing Director Ghising. “In the hilly districts of the Koshi Province, electricity generated at the Inaruwa Substation will supply Morang and Sunsari districts. Establishing production sources for electricity supply in that region will lead to voltage improvements and ensure abundant and qualitative electricity supply.
Electricity will be transmitted from Tumlingtar and Taplejung’s Dhungesanghu Substation to the Basanthapur Substation. From Basanthapur, a 220 kV double-circuit tower has been constructed up to the Inaruwa Substation in Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality, Sunsari. Only one side of the tower has been strung with transmission lines and is now operational.
A single circuit of the 220 kV double-circuit transmission line, spanning approximately 30 kilometers from Basanthapur to Tumlingtar, has been completed. The length of the Inaruwa-Basanthapur-Tumlingtar transmission line is around 105 kilometers. While the double-circuit towers have been constructed, currently, only a single circuit of the transmission line has been strung and is operational.
Under the investment from the Government of Nepal and Export-Import Bank of India (EXIM), the construction of substations and transmission lines has been undertaken in Tumlingtar, Basanthapur, and Baneshwar under the Koshi Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line project.
The electricity generated from hydroelectric projects constructed and in operation along the Arun and Tamor rivers and their tributaries will be connected to the Inaruwa Substation through the Koshi Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line. The construction of the Koshi Corridor aims to link the electricity from these hydroelectric projects, situated in Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum, and Taplejung districts of the Koshi Province, to the national transmission grid.
Within the Koshi Corridor, the Basanthapur-Dhungesanghu (Taplejung) section of the transmission line and the 132 kV substation in Dhungesanghu are under construction. Out of 128 towers for the approximately 34-kilometer double-circuit transmission line, only 6 towers are yet to be constructed. The aim is to complete stringing the 26-kilometer transmission line of one circuit by the upcoming month of mid Jan – mid Feb.
An agreement has been reached for the construction of the second circuit of the Basanthapur-Dhungesanghu 220 kV transmission line, and work has commenced. The Government of Nepal and the Electricity Authority have set a target to complete the aforementioned project with their investment by the upcoming month of mid Feb -mid March.
The construction of Dhungesanghu substation is 95 percent complete. The 73-73 MW Middle Tamor and Middle Mewakhola hydropower projects which are in the final stage of construction in Taplejung will be connected to this transmission line.
The estimated cost of the transmission line project is 11.2 million US dollars, constructed under a joint comprehensive loan provided by the Government of Nepal and a 9% grant from the Government of India through the EXIM Bank. A comprehensive loan of 9 million US dollars has been facilitated by the EXIM Bank for the project.
Through the Koshi Corridor transmission line project, it is possible to transmit approximately 1,000 megawatts from Tumlingtar to Basantapur, around 1,000 megawatts from Dhungesanghu to Basanthapur, and about 2,000 megawatts from Basanthapur to Inaruwa. The Koshi Corridor hosts Nepal’s longest 220 kV transmission line to date, covering the longest distance.
