The work is being done rapidly so that it can be built by next May
Under the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 KV transmission line project, the construction of the transmission line from Udipur substation in Lamjung, through Markichoke in Ambukhairni in Tanahun to the new Bharatpur substation in Amptari, Bharatpur Metropolitan City in Chitwan, has gained momentum.
Private sector hydropower projects built and under construction on Marsyangdi, Dordi and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries have been advanced with the subcontract of Udipur-Markichoke-Bharatpur transmission line section. The work has been advanced so that the said section can be constructed 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.
There are 14 hydropower projects including 7 in operation and 7 under construction in the 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 rivers and streams will flow completely to the national transmission line.
Kulman Ghising, the executive director of Nepal Electricity Authority, said on Tuesday that after monitoring the transmission lines being built in Tanahun and Chitwan, the necessary support and facilitation will be provided by the organization to complete the work by next May. He instructed the builders to complete the construction by adding more manpower as the Udipur-Markichok-Bharatpur transmission line section is important for the electricity produced during the rainy season in Marsyangdi, Dordi and Trishuli rivers and their tributaries. 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 will have to be constructed in the 40 km transmission line section Udipur-Markichoke. Among them, the foundation of 90 towers has been laid. 83 towers will 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 6 places are being worked on. All equipment and construction materials including tower parts, conductors (wires) have been supplied.
69.69 hectares of forest land will have 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 forest area land use and tree felling approval, 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 in the right of way has been started.
As it was seen that the state will suffer a huge loss if the transmission line is not built on time, Mohan Karki, an energy entrepreneur who is engaged in the construction on behalf of the private sector energy producers, said that the construction was started with subcontracting at the initiative and agreement of the hydropower promoters of Marsyangdi and Trishuli river corridors.
Karki mentioned that after the completion of the transmission line, it was agreed with the authority to end the existing alternative arrangement of the hydropower projects built in those river corridors within the current financial year 2081/82. A 5-member monitoring committee has been formed on behalf of the promoters to monitor transmission line construction performance and coordinate with 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.
