Under the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 KV transmission line project, the construction of the transmission line from Udipur substation in Lamjung to Markichok in Ambukhairni in Tanahun to the new Bharatpur substation in Amptari, Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan has been speeding up.
Private sector hydropower projects constructed and under construction on the Marsyangdi, Dordi and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries have been advanced with the sub-contract of the Udipur-Markichoke-Bharatpur transmission line section. The work has been advanced to complete the construction of this section by next May.
The Chinese company Pinggao Group of Companies, which took the contract for the Udipur-Markichoke-Bharatpur transmission line segment, failed to complete the work on time and put the line into operation, so the private sector hydropower projects took the sub-contract and proceeded with the construction. In this, 14 hydropower projects including 7 in operation and 7 under construction are involved in the construction of hydroelectric power in Marsyangdi, Dordi and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries. Only after the construction of the Udipur-Markichoke-Bharatpur transmission line section is completed and put into operation, the rainy season electricity of the hydropower projects under construction in the said rivers and streams will flow completely to the national transmission line.
Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising said on Tuesday that the transmission line being built in Tanahun and Chitwan will be monitored and the necessary support and facilitation will be provided by the organization to complete the work by next May. Executive Director Ghising instructed the builders to complete the construction by increasing the manpower as the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section is important for the flow of electricity produced during the rainy season in Marsyangdi, Dordi and Trishuli rivers and the tributaries of these rivers. He instructed the project management to solve the problems of land use, tree felling, land acquisition and rights of way in the forest area under the transmission line and provide a construction site. Calling the head of Division Forest Office Chitwan and Tanahun, he requested them to facilitate the approval process for land use and tree felling in the forest area and to provide the necessary support to complete the construction of the important transmission line as soon as possible.
116 towers have to be constructed in the 40 km transmission line section Udipur-Markichoke. The foundations of 90 towers have been laid. 83 towers have to be constructed on the 28 km transmission line section Markichoke-Bharatpur. Out of this, the foundation of 38 towers has been laid. At present, work is being done in 6 places. All equipment and construction materials including tower parts, conductors (wires) have been supplied.
69.69 hectares of forest land has to be used for the construction of the transmission line from Udipur to New Bharatpur via Gorkha, Tanahun. 10 thousand 225 trees there will have to be cut. The head of the project, Narayan Regmi, said that after completing the entire process of land use and tree felling approval in the forest area, felling has already started in some places. Chief Regmi mentioned that the private land has been acquired for the tower pad and the process of determining the compensation for the land and structures under the right of way has been started.
Mohan Karki, an energy entrepreneur engaged in the construction on behalf of the private sector energy producers, said that if the transmission line is not built on time, the state will suffer a huge loss, so the construction has been started with sub-contracts at the initiative and agreement of the hydropower promoters of the Marsyangdi and Trishuli river corridors. Karki mentioned that after the completion of the transmission line, it has been agreed with the authority to terminate the existing alternative system of hydropower projects built in the river corridor within the current financial year 2081/82. A 5-member monitoring committee has been formed by the promoters to monitor the transmission line construction performance and coordinate with the stakeholders.
Under the Marsyangdi Corridor Transmission Line Project, among the four substations of 220 KV capacity, Udipur and New Bharatpur substations have been completed. Lamjung's Khudi substation is in the final stages of construction, while Manang's Dharapani substation is under construction. The Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project has been started for the electricity generated from Marsyangdi and its tributaries to flow into the national transmission system. About 1,600 megawatts of electricity can be transmitted through the transmission line.
