Kathmandu: The construction of the package-1 of the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line has been completed.

Under the Package-1 construction, a 220 kV double circuit tower has been pinned while single circuit stringing has been stretched from Inaruwa of Sunsari through Basantapur and Baneshwor up to Tumlingtar of Sankhuwasabha district. Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and India Exim Bank jointly announced the completion of the portion of the infrastructure project on Wednesday.

A total investment of US $ 112 million has been earmarked for the construction of the Koshi Corridor transmission line. Of the amount, the Indian bank has provided US $ 90 million as concessional loans to the state-owned power utility.

After the completion of the project, it can help transmit 1,000 MW of electricity each from Tumlingtar to Basantapur and from Dhungesanghu of Taplejung district to Basantapur district. In addition, it will also provide an access to flow 2,000 MW of electricity from Basantapur to Inaruwa. The transmission line is expected to serve as a reliable electricity distribution network in a number of districts of Province 1.

Speaking at a program, NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising said the infrastructure has prepared the backbone for the distribution of electricity in Province 1. According to him, the authority will also be linking the Koshi Corridor and Kaveli Corridor transmission lines soon.

Citing an increasing production of electricity from the Koshi Corridor in the future, the NEA has planned to stretch a second circuit stringing and to improve the capacity of related substations through enhancement of power transformers. For this purpose, NEA is said to have sent a letter to India Exim Bank to inject an additional US $ 40 million.

NEA has divided the Koshi Corridor project in three packages for construction. The first package includes the construction of transmission stretch in Inaruwa-Tumlingtar, the second package includes installation of three sub-stations and the third package includes construction of a transmission line from Basantapur of Tehrathum to Dhungesanghu of Taplejung and related substations.