The Nepal Electricity Authority has requested to complete the construction of the line from Markichowk of Aanbukhairni Rural Municipality of Tanahun to the New Bharatpur Substation located at Aanptari of Bharatpur Metropolitan City of Chitwan under the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project swiftly.

A team including Managing Director of NEA Kul Man Ghising and Deputy Managing Director Pradeep Kumar Thike monitored the construction of transmission lines and substations and urged them to speed up the construction of the Markichowk-New Bharatpur transmission line as it is important for the supply of electricity in the national grid during the rainy season.

The team discussed the matter with the project management and contractors and got information about the construction situation, the problems being faced, the schedule for completion of the construction, according to the NEA.

From the side of the project, it was informed that the construction is being affected due to the lengthy legal process to use land of forest area and tree felling approval, and poor performance of the construction company.

Ghising said that if the construction of the Markichowk-New Bharatpur section cannot be completed by June, there may be a situation where 200-300 megawatts of electricity will be wasted.

“Currently, Marsyangdi-Bharatpur and Damauli-Bharatpur 132 kV transmission lines are only single circuit, from which only about 80 megawatts of electricity can be supplied. Electricity can be brought from Markichowk to Kathmandu, but since the capacity of the transmission line is not enough, it is not possible to supply more electricity from Kathmandu to Hetauda. This will also affect the export of electricity to India,” he said.

Ghising requested the chief district officer of Chitwan and the head of the division forest office to facilitate the approval process for land use and tree felling in the forest area and request them to provide necessary support to complete the construction of the important transmission line as soon as possible.

Under the project, 69.69 hectares of national forest will be used and 10,225 trees will have to be cut for the construction of the transmission line from Udipur in Lamjung to New Bharatpur via Gorkha, Tanahun.

The meeting of the Council of Ministers on February 8 gave approval for land use and cutting of trees in the forest area. A total of 80 towers are to be constructed in the Markichowk-New Bharatpur section. Among them, 35 towers have been laid and five towers have been erected.

The four substations of 220 kV capacity are being constructed under the Marsyangdi Corridor Transmission Line Project. The construction of New Bharatpur substation in Chitwan has been completed. Substations are under construction at Udipur and Khudi in Lamjung and Dharapani in Manang.

The Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project has been started to supply the electricity generated from Marsyangdi and its tributaries into the national transmission system. About 1,600 megawatts of electricity can be supplied through the transmission line, said the NEA.

Under the project, a 113 km double-circuit transmission line from Bharatpur in Chitwan to Dharapani in Manang is under construction. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs. 16 billion with the investment of the government and the concessional loan of the European Investment Bank (EIB).