Built under the leadership of Chilime Jalvidyut Company Limited, a subsidiary of Nepal Electricity Authority, Local Community And Hydropower Company have reached an agreement to proceed with the construction of the transmission line of the 103 MW Madhyabhotekoshi Hydroelectric Project under construction at Sindhupalchowk.

In presence of Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka, Minister of State Purna Bahadur Tamang, Federal Member of Parliament of Sindhupalchoka-2 Mohan Bahadur Basnet, Joint Secretary of the Ministry Sandeep Kumar Dev, Managing Director of the NEA Kulman Ghising, Head of Bahrbise Municipality Balkrishna Basnet and Ward Chair, Assistant Chief District Officer, Federation of Nepali Chamber of Commerce and Industry, an agreement was reached in the discussion held recently between the the project and local people.

Local residents have been obstructing the construction of two kilometers out of the four kilometers of transmission lines connecting the Bahrbise substation of the same Municipality-3 authority from the switchyard of the Bahrbise Municipality-5 project for 14 months. 13 towers were constructed for 220 kV single circuit transmission lines. However, due to the obstruction of the local residents of Palanti, located in Bahrbise Municipality-3 and 4, the project was not able to pull 2 km of wire. 124 landowners own land in the right of way of the two-kilometer transmission line.

In the discussion held on Wednesday Augusts 28, it was agreed that the project will provide financial support to Bahrbise Nagar Hospital through the municipality under Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

Bahrbise municipality-3 and 4 wards are also included under the affected areas of the project, and it has been agreed to provide assistance for development and construction work like other affected areas, and to provide appropriate compensation for the land and structures that are the right of way for the transmission line. Likewise, it has been agreed to start the remaining construction of the transmission line immediately.

Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Khadka said that there was an important agreement to clear the ongoing obstacles in the construction of the transmission line in order to integrate the completed Madhyabhotekoshi hydroelectric project into the electricity system. Minister Khadka instructed all the parties to sincerely implement the agreement and complete the rest of the work in the construction of the project within one month.

Minister of State for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Tamang said that he will monitor the construction work regularly.

MP Basnet mentioned that he had taken a big risk to advance the project in the past and said that he has supported the fulfillment of the just demands raised by the locals.

Mentioning that the construction of the project to be adopted by the local people has been advanced, Ghising, the executive director of the authority, requested to complete the rest of the transmission line work and create an environment to start generating electricity from the project immediately. Ghising said that the construction of 220 ÷ 132 KV substation for the project's electricity has been completed.

After the production of electricity from the Madhyabhotekoshi hydropower project starts, the Bahrbise substation will be charged using the same electricity. The tunnel leaked when water was poured during the testing of structures and equipment to start electricity generation from Bhotekoshi after the construction was completed. The rest of the work is being done with the goal of starting electricity generation from the project in October.

An alternate arrangement has been made temporarily for the electricity flow of Madhyabhoteshi.

The electricity reaching the Bahrbise substation from the 200 KV transmission line will be reduced to 132 KV through the same substation and will be transmitted through the 132 KV transmission line. For this, the company is currently working to take the 132 KV transmission line constructed by Shivashree Hydropower, the developer of the 22 MW Upper Chaku A Hydropower Project, to the Bahrbise substation.

From the same transmission line, the electricity of Madhyabhotekosi will be integrated into the national system through the long-distance substation.

The temporary alternative arrangement will remain until the Khimti-Bahrbise or Barhbise-Kathmandu transmission line is completed. After the completion of these lines, electricity will flow through them.

The team including the minister also conducted an on-site inspection of Bahrbise substation and Madhyabhotekoshi hydropower project.