The 132/33/11 kilovolt (KV) substation infrastructure constructed at the new Khimti substation located in Manthali municipality-13 Sankhe (Fulasi) of Ramechhap district has been charged. Ramechhap (Garjang) – The substation built for local electricity supply under the new Khimti 132 KV transmission line project has been put into operation from Thursday.

Two power transformers of 30 MVA capacity and 1 power transformer of 33/11 KV, 6/8 AVA capacity are kept in the substation. 5 feeder lines of 33 KV and three feeder lines of 11 KV have been removed from the substation for local electricity supply.

The 33 KV feeder has been charged on Thursday and electricity supply has been started in some parts of Ramechhap’s Manthali, Doramba and Dolakha. Khimti Rural Electricity Cooperative will be supplied through a feeder line of 11 KV. The cooperative has electrified some areas of Dolakha and Ramechhap.

The 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project operating in Dolakha constructed a new Khimti substation with a capacity of 220-132 KV.

However, since there is no provision for local electricity supply in the substation, the Nepal Electricity Authority has created a substation infrastructure of 132 ÷ 33 ÷ 11 KV. After the 132-33 KV infrastructure has been prepared, local power supply has started from the new Khimti substation. In the new Khimti substation, the electricity of the hydropower projects of Khimti and Likhu river corridor along with Upper Tamakoshi is connected.

The electricity flowing from those projects to the new Khimti substation has been reduced to 33 and 11 kV through 132/33 KV substations and supplied locally. The rest of the electricity is transmitted through 220 KV transmission line to Dhalkbar in Dhanusha and through 132 KV line to Lamosanghu substation in Sindhupalchok.

After the 132÷33÷11 KV substation came into operation, power supply has been given to some parts of Ramechhap and Dolakha. Electricity has been supplied from the new Khimti substation to the entire area of ??Ramechhap district and the areas under Jiri Municipality of Dolakha, Vaiteshwar and Tamakoshi Rural Municipality. Electricity was being supplied from Lamasanghu substation in that area of ??Dolakha. In addition, electricity will be supplied from the new Khimti substation to Sunkoshi, Fikal and Golanjor Rural Municipality areas of Sindhuli.

Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority, said that since the new Khimti substation started supplying electricity to Ramechhap and other districts, the electricity is sufficient, reliable and of good quality.

“The electricity of the hydroelectric projects connected to the new Khimti substation was flowing to the national transmission system through the long stretch of Sindhupalchok and Dhalkevar of Dhanusha and the excess was being exported to India through Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur,” Managing Director Ghising said. Even though there is a big substation in the district, the consumers of that area were deprived of reliable and quality electricity because they did not get supply from there.’

He said that in the past, electricity from New Khimti reached Dhalbak through 220 KV transmission line was brought here again through 33 KV transmission line and supplied to Sindhuli, Ramechhap and there were problems such as tripping and low voltage when the line was long. Ghising said that now that the supply from the new Khimti will start, the problems in electricity supply will be solved and the consumers will get reliable and quality electricity.

The length of 33 KV transmission line from Dhalkebar to Manthali is about 80 km. The consumers of Ramechhap and Sindhuli were facing problems such as tripping and low voltage due to long and dense lines. Anup Gautam, head of the project, said that now that power supply is started from New Khimti, the length of the line will be reduced and the power supply in that area will be improved and line maintenance will be easier.

Electricity will be supplied from the new Khimti substation to the Khurkot substation in Sindhuli. After that, the power supply of Sunkoshi, Golanchor and Fikal rural villages of Sindhuli, which are supplied with electricity from Khurkot substation, will also be improved. Now all those areas are being supplied with electricity from the line coming through the Dhalkebar substation.

Construction of 132-33 KV substation infrastructure in Naya Khimti was started in financial year 2076-77. The cost of the substation, which was built with the investment of Nepal government and authorities, is about 80 million rupees.