The Nepal Electricity Authority is going to supply the necessary electricity for the construction of roads in Makwanpur's Bhimfedi Rural Municipality-8 Mandu Maltabensi and Indrasarobar Rural Municipality-3 Cisneri Kogte area under the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhesh Expressway (Fast Track).
In order not to affect the construction of the fast track due to the lack of electricity, the authority has made alternative arrangements and has moved forward with the work to supply electricity as quickly as possible. There is no problem in the electricity supply of the residents of that area.
For the construction of structures including bridges, gallery tunnels, tunnels in the Mandu Maltabensi and Cisneri Kogte areas of the fast track In order not to affect the construction due to the lack of necessary electricity, the authority is going to make alternative arrangements and supply. The fast track will require about 12 MW of electricity in the area . Construction is being done in four packages in that area .
The existing 66 kV line from Kulekhani first hydropower station Dhorsingh to Mandu will be put into operation at 11 kV. The 22.5 MVA power transformer in Jageda in Kathmandu will be taken to Dhorsingh substation and connected there, and the necessary power supply for the fast track will be provided through it.
At Dhorsing Substation, for local power supply, the power transformer of 5 MVA capacity is currently running at full load, so it is not possible to supply more power, so another large capacity transformer is going to be added.
Due to the floods and landslides caused by the incessant rains on October 11th and 12th, the 22 MW Bagmati River small hydropower plant operated by Mandu Hydropower Limited caused great damage to the structures including the small hydropower plant, and the power generation was stopped. The flood that occurred in the Bagmati River washed away the switchyard and the power transformer kept by the authority there. The electricity produced by the
project was channeled through 66 KV transmission line to Dhorsingh and through 33 KV line to Malta sub station in Lalitpur . Fast track was supplied through 11 kV line from Malta Substation . Another 2 MW Khani Khola hydropower project in operation in Lalitpur was also connected to Malta sub station.
However, the Malta substation became without power source after the flood and landslide also damaged the mine river. Because of this, the power supply of the fast track was stopped . Now both the projects are being reconstructed .
After the Nepal Army informed that there was a problem in the construction of fast track due to lack of electricity supply, a high-level team including Executive Director of the Authority Kulman Ghising, Deputy Executive Director of Distribution and Customer Service Directorate Manoj Silwal conducted an on-site inspection of the Mandu Maltabensi area on Monday. The
team visited Bagmati river small hydropower project and Dhorsingh sub-station under reconstruction and discussed various options for immediate power supply with the relevant officials. The reconstruction of the project is being done so that it can be completed within the next Chaitra. After the operation of the project, electricity will be supplied according to the old system.
Executive Director Ghising said that adding a power transformer to Dhorsingh sub-station and charging the Dhorsingh-Mandu line to 11 KV and providing electricity to the fast track is an appropriate option for the time being until the project is operational.
"The work of the project of national pride should not be affected because of us, now there is a lack of power source to supply, until the power generation from the flood-damaged hydroelectric projects starts, supply should be provided through an alternative arrangement, for this, let's start work immediately," Ghising said.
Deputy Executive Director Silwal instructed Palung and Hetauda distribution center chiefs to immediately proceed with the necessary work to be done locally to restore the line.
