Successful Completion of Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV Transmission Line Construction
The Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV transmission line has been successfully completed, enabling the integration of electricity generated by hydropower projects along the Trishuli River and its tributaries into Nepal’s national grid.
Spanning 28 kilometers, the transmission line runs from the Chilime Hub Substation in Thambuchet, Aamachhodingmo Rural Municipality (Rasuwa) to the Trishuli 3 Hub Substation in Pahrebensi, Kispang Rural Municipality (Nuwakot).
Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), acknowledged the hard work and dedication of NEA employees and construction workers who completed the project despite working through the Dashain and Tihar festivals.
Ghising highlighted that the completion of the transmission line infrastructure will allow electricity from the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi and 42.5 MW Sanjen hydropower projects—both led by NEA’s subsidiary, Chilime Hydropower—to flow into the national grid. Both projects are now generating electricity following the completion of their construction.
As part of the Chilime-Trishuli project, the construction of 220-132-33 kV substations at Chilime Hub and Trishuli 3B Hub has been finalized. Electricity from Trishuli 3B Hub will be linked to the national grid through the Trishuli-Kathmandu 220 kV transmission line up to Matatirtha.
A total of 76 transmission line towers were built along the route, which spans elevations ranging from 680 meters to 2,600 meters above sea level. In locations without road access, new access roads were constructed, and in some cases, materials were transported by mules, manpower, and even helicopters. A 1,235-meter stretch of wire was installed between Tiru in Uttargaya Rural Municipality-1 and Siruchet, including a section of the Mailung Crossing over the Mailung Khola, where drones were used for wire installation.
The project also involved the construction of a 20 km double-circuit line from Chilime to Mailung and an 8 km multi-circuit line from Mailung to Trishuli 3B Hub. The multi-circuit line, which is intended to transmit power from the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 Hydroelectric Project, will be constructed under the leadership of a Korean company, with 60% of the funding provided by Upper Trishuli-1.
Electricity from the Sanjen and Rasuwagadhi projects will now be transmitted to the Chilime Hub Substation and integrated into the national grid through the Chilime-Trishuli transmission line.
The total estimated cost of the Chilime-Trishuli Transmission Line Project is $3.628 million, funded by the Government of Nepal, NEA, grants from the German Development Bank (KfW), and concessional loans from the European Investment Bank. A contract for the construction of the transmission lines and substations was awarded to the Chinese company Pinggao Group of Companies in November 2017, with project implementation beginning in December 2017.
