Kathmandu, 10 July 2023. Hetauda-Bharatpur 220 KV transmission line has been commissioned. The Hetauda-Bharatpur section has been put into operation under the Hetauda-Bharatpur-Bardghat 220 KV transmission line project.Nepal Electricity Authority has charged one circuit of double circuit 220 KV transmission line 73 km long and put it into operation for the time being at 132 KV. The 220 KV transmission line from the old Hetanda substation at Chowkitol, Hetauda sub-metropolitan city of Makwanpur to the new Bharatpur substation at Amptari, Bharatpur metropolitan city of Chitwan has been charged at 132 kV. After the commissioning of the Hetaunda-Bharatpur section transmission line, around 170 MW of electricity can be supplied from Hetauda to Bharatpur and from Bharatpur to Hetaunda. Only about 90 megawatts of electricity was flowing from the old 132 kV transmission line. With the commissioning of the Hetaunda-Bharatpur section, there will be some ease for more electricity in that area.
The Hetauda-Bharatpur-Bardghat transmission line project has been started to make the transmission line within Nepal strong and reliable and to supply electricity to the hydropower project to be built in the western region. The project was started in 2008 with the investment of Nepal government and authorities and concessional loan from the World Bank. The project was divided into two sections, Hetauda-Bharatpur and Bharatpur-Bardghat. The construction of the project was affected due to local obstacles in the construction of the transmission line, problems in land acquisition, delay in forest area land use and tree felling, poor performance of the Contractor Company, etc. After the World Bank withdrew from the project in October 2021, the rest of the work was carried forward with the investment of the government and authorities.
Under the Hetauda-Bharatpur section, 2 towers of 220 KV four circuits (multi-circuit) are being constructed to carry the line to the under-construction substation located in Hetaunda sub-metropolitan city-11 thanabryang. Santosh Shah, the head of the project, said that the work will be completed by next August.
Under the Hetauda-Bharatpur section, 2 towers of 220 KV four circuits (multi-circuit) are being constructed to carry the line to the under-construction substation located in Hetauda sub-metropolitan city-11 thanabryang. Santosh Sah, the head of the project, said that the work will be completed by next August.
In February 2008, a contract was signed between the Indian company Icom Tel for the construction of the Hetauda-Bharatpur section. However, after stalling the work of the transmission line of strategic importance, the authority broke the contract and confiscated the 3.57 million US dollars that the company had kept as a performance guarantee. Similarly, the authority also decided to impose an advance fine of about 1.6 million dollars for delaying the work. After that, a new tender was called and a new contract was signed in May 2020
Bharatpur-Bardghat section within July
Under the project, Bharatpur-Bardghat 220kV transmission line section from Bharatpur in Chitwan to Bardghat in Nawalparasi (Bardghat Susta East) is being put into operation by next July. In Nawalparasi Vinayi Triveni Rural Municipality-2 Dumkibas, the construction of two towers in this section was stopped from March 2020 due to the obstruction of the locals and the interim order of the Supreme Court. As a result, the construction of the transmission line could not be completed.
The construction of the tower went ahead after the Supreme Court dismissed the writ and reached an agreement with the locals. Now the tower has been built. 1.7 km wire has been started.
Due to the disruption in Dumkibas of Nawalparasi, the transmission line could not be constructed, and when it was not possible to send more electricity from Bharatpur to Bardghat, the authority charged the completed section through an alternative arrangement. Due to insufficient capacity of the transmission line, there is now a problem for the flow of electricity from Bharatpur to Wardghat
