Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), in a bid to increase electricity consumption throughout the country, is upgrading transmission lines in a number of Terai-based districts.
According to the NEA, it aims to promote the consumption of up to 4,000 MW of electricity in Madhesh Province alone by 2050. For this purpose, the state-owned power utility NEA has stepped up efforts to build and upgrading a high-powered transmission line corridor in the region.
In this regard, a team of high-ranking officials including NEA’s Managing Director Kulman Ghising and experts related to the sector, carried out an onsite visit of the proposed construction locations on Saturday and Sunday, according to the NEA. The proposed infrastructure is expected to help increase domestic consumption along with facilitating energy export to a number of Indian towns that include Motihari, Sitamadi and Jayanagar, among others.
In its plan, the NEA will construct four-circuit transmission lines and substations alongside the Postal Highway that lies near the Nepal-India border. While two upper circuit lines will be built in 400 kV, the other two on the lower level will have a capacity of 132 kV. Substations will be built to maintain smooth electricity supply in local areas.
Out of the 4,000 MW electricity targeted for consumption in Madhes Province, 3,200 MW will be supplied to Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor of Birgunj and the remaining 800 MW will be made available in the Janakpur area. Ghising said they will construct necessary infrastructure for this purpose.
NEA said it has already acquired land in Prasauni of Bara district to construct 132 kV substations while a similar substation is under construction in Loharpatti of Mahottari district. Likewise, the construction of transmission lines in Dhalkebar-Banganga has been started.
The upgradation of transmission lines and construction of substations will cost over Rs 50 billion. According to Ghising, the funds will be managed from the investment of the government and NEA, loans from EXIM Bank of India and concessional loans from the Asian Development Bank.
