Nawalparasi: Electricity from the national grid has been supplied to Hongshi Cement industry, a joint venture of Nepali and Chinese investors. The industry is operating in Sardi in Binayi Tribeni Rural Municipality in Nawalparasi district.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has supplied electricity to the industry from Saturday through the Bardaghat-Sardi 132 kV transmission line from the substation located in Bardaghat. The transmission line and substation were charged at 9 PM on Saturday and electricity was supplied to the industry later on the day.

Hongshi Cement factory alone will consume 30 MW of electricity. The industry, which is about to increase production capacity, will need an additional 50 MW of electricity. The industry has been provided direct electricity through 132 kV transmission lines.

For this, the industry has taken power supply by connecting 31.5 MVA capacity transformers in its premises. The tariff of 132 KV is cheaper than that of customers who get power supply from 11 and 33 KV transmission megawatt lines. The industry was supplying electricity through 14 1.4 MW-diesel generators due to lack of access to power. The industry has been consuming 60,000 liters of diesel daily for this.

NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising said that the construction of the transmission line has not been completed yet due to many problems such as use of forest land and obstruction of locals. However, the NEA has managed to provide the industry with electricity via alternative arrangements.

The Bardaghat-Sardi 132 kV transmission line project being constructed for the Hongshi Cement Industry has been delayed. Power supply has been provided to Hongshi Cement by ‘tapping’ the Bardaghat-Bharatpur 220 kV transmission line in Binayi Tribeni Rural Municipality-2 Dumkibas of Nawalparasi.

Electricity has been supplied to the industry through Dumkibas-Sardi section of Bardaghat-Sardi 132 KV transmission line by tapping the electricity supplied from 220 KV transmission line. Electricity has been provided to the industry by charging the completed sections of Bardaghat-Bharatpur 220 kV and Bardaghat-Sardi 132 kV transmission lines. “We will continue to review electricity tariffs in a timely manner to encourage the establishment of large scale industries,” said Ghising.