Kathmandu: The construction of the Solu Corridor 132 kV double circuit transmission line that was halted for two years is in the final stage of completion.

According to the Project Chief Janardan Gautam, 302 towers necessary for the transmission line have been installed and stretching of wires will be done in the next week. “We will reconfirm if there is any obstruction in the operation of the 90 km long transmission line, majority of which were constructed four years ago, before bringing it online,” he said.

The construction of the Solu Corridor transmission line was started a decade ago. The project work was obstructed for two years due to protests of the consumers of Maruwa Harit Community Forest of Katari Municipality-4 of Udaypur district. In October 2020, the authority resumed the construction work after finalizing the compensation deal with the local people.

Due to the delay in the construction of the transmission line, powers generated in the district have not been connected to the national transmission line. As a result, out of 23 MW of electricity generated by the Solu Khola Hydropower Project, around 18 MW is going to waste.

The double circuit cable line will help evacuate power produced by hydropower plants in Solukhumbu and the surrounding region to eastern Nepal and the national grid. At present, hydropower projects including 82 MW Lower Solu, 19.8 MW Upper Solu and 86 MW Solu-Dudhkoshi are in the final stage of construction.

The project is funded through government investment and a concessional loan from Export-Import Bank of India. The Nepal Electricity Authority had awarded the contract to the Indian contractor Mohan Energy in March 2016.