KATHMANDU, Oct 16: The construction of the 400 kV Dhalkebar substation has reached the final stage, with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) all set to charge the substation after Dashain.

Provided the necessary work is completed on the Indian side of the border, the substation will enable the state-owned power utility to exchange 1,000-1,200 megawatt of electricity with India via the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line. According to NEA officials, the construction work will be completed in around one week and the authority will be charging the substation after Dashain, which is commencing from Saturday.

The Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line is considered the most strategic infrastructure to carry out Nepal’s power trade with its neighboring countries. Currently, the transmission line has been operating at 220 kV capacity. Two years ago, the substation was upgraded to carry 310 MW from 160 MW of electricity.

Despite Nepal’s promptness for constructing necessary infrastructure for energy trade, India has not taken initiatives for the required preparation on the Indian land. According to a source, the Indian side has been delaying the construction work, citing waterlogging in the areas concerned.

The upgraded substation will have three power transformers each with capacity of 315 MVA. With the new capacity, it will be useful to export electricity to India once there is surplus energy in Nepal. It will also support materializing the proposed energy banking between Nepal and India, according to NEA.

The NEA had planned to complete the construction of the Dhalkebar substation in April. However, the spread of coronavirus and lockdowns delayed its plan, the source said.