Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has inaugurated the new Bharatpur 220-132 (kV) Substation. Prime Minister Prachanda also inaugurated the Hetaunda-Bharatpur-Bardghat 220 kV double circuit transmission line.

At Bharatpur Metropolitan City-11 Anptari in Chitwan, Prime Minister Prachanda officially opened a gas insulated substation (GIS) constructed as part of the Masryangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project.

With funding from the Government of Nepal and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), a concessional loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), funding from the Government and NEA, and funding from the World Bank, the substation and Hetaunda-Bharatpur-Bardghat 220 kV transmission line have been built. The transmission line costs 5.94 billion rupees, while the substation costs 1.52 billion rupees.

The new Bharatpur Substation and the Hetaunda-Bharatpur-Bardghat transmission line are strategically significant for the east-west electricity supply, according to Prime Minister Prachanda, who was speaking at the opening ceremony of the new Bharatpur Substation Complex.

Prime Minister Prachanda mentioned that the work is being completed to improve the living standard of the citizens by consuming the electricity produced in the country and to speed up the development and enrich the economy by exporting the surplus electricity.

"A preliminary agreement has been signed with a neighboring country, India, to trade 10,000 MW of electricity in 10 years. We are finalizing it soon. There is a theoretical agreement between the three countries to take Nepal's electricity to Bangladesh," he said. "I will soon visit another neighboring country, China. Agreements are being made with China for transmission lines and electricity trade. This will help the country's economy a lot.

The Prime Minister said that the issue of tree felling and land acquisition in the construction of hydropower and transmission line projects will be addressed by amending the existing laws and enacting new laws. The Prime Minister mentioned that the 1,200 MW Budhigandaki Reservoir Hydropower Project and the 10,800 MW Karnali Chisapani Project will be formally handed over to the NEA for an updated study.

Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet said that in order to increase power consumption and improve the quality of supply, the transmission and distribution system will be upgraded and an international transmission line for export of surplus power will be constructed. He mentioned that the work has been continued with short, medium and long term plans.

Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Dinesh Kumar Ghimire and Managing Director, NEA, Kulman Ghising said that the construction of this transmission and distribution line will improve the overall power supply in the country.

The inaugurated Hetaunda-Bharatpur-Bardghat 220 kV transmission line is about 147 km long. The transmission line, which can carry up to 1000 MW of electricity, has been constructed by dividing it into two sections, Hetaunda-Bharatpur and Bharatpur-Bardghat.

One circuit of the 220 kV double circuit transmission line from the old Hetouda Substation to the new Bharatpur Substation at Chowkitol, Hetouda sub-division of Makwanpur has been charged at 132 kV.

In the second phase, the 74 km 220 kV double circuit transmission line from New Bharatpur Substation to Bardghat Substation of Nawalparasi (Bardghat-Susta East) was commissioned at 132 kV.

To strengthen the capacity of the transmission line, the Hetauda-Bharatpur-Bardghat transmission line was constructed for the power flow of the hydropower project to be constructed in the western region to make the integrated power system of Nepal reliable.

The construction of the project was affected due to local obstructions in the construction of the transmission line, problems in land acquisition, delay in land use and felling of trees in the forest area, poor performance of the contractor company, etc. After the withdrawal of the World Bank in November 2021, the remaining work was continued with the investment of the government and the authority.

A contract for the construction of the Hetaunda-Bharatpur section was signed in February 2010. However, after the work on the strategically important transmission line was suspended without work, the authority cancelled the contract and issued a new tender. In May 2020, a new contract was signed and the remaining work was completed.

In October 2012, a contract was signed for the construction of the 74 km Bharatpur-Bardghat transmission line. Due to unsatisfactory performance, the contract with the said company was terminated in June 2017 and the authority issued a new tender for the remaining work. A contract was signed in July 2018 to complete the remaining work.

In Nawalparasi Vinayi Triveni Rural Municipality-2, Dumkibas, some locals filed a petition in the High Court demanding a change in the route of the transmission line. The construction of two towers in the area was stopped after the High Court issued an interim order in April 2020 as per the locals' demand. On June 12, 2022, the Supreme Court dismissed the petition.

After that, the compensation and indemnity issues were continuously discussed with the locals and the construction was carried out after reaching an agreement in March, 2022.

Under the Masryangdi Corridor 220 KV Transmission Line Project, a contract agreement was signed in June 2020 for the construction of substations at New Bharatpur and Udipur in Lamjung. Due to the covid-19 epidemic, the construction of the substations was affected.

The Masryangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project was initiated to feed the power generated from Masryangdi and its tributaries into the national transmission system. Approximately 1,600 megawatts of electricity can be transmitted through the transmission line. The length of the double circuit transmission line from Bharatpur in Chitwan to Dharapani in Manang is about 113 km.

The project is divided into three packages. Under the first package, approximately 67 km of transmission line is being constructed from Udipur to New Bharatpur Substation. Under the second package, the construction of New Bharatpur Substation has been completed while other substations are under construction.

New Bharatpur Substation has two power transformers of 160-160 MVA capacity. Under the third package, 46 km transmission line and two substations are being constructed from Khudi to Dharapani. Under this package, substations are being constructed at Khudi and Dharapani.

One section of the 220 kV double circuit transmission line from the old Hetaunda Substation to the new Bharatpur Substation at Chowkitol in Hetaunda sub-metropolis has been charged at 132 kV.

In the second phase, the 74 km 220 kV double circuit transmission line from New Bharatpur Substation to Bardghat Substation at Nawalparasi (Bardghat-Sustapur) has been commissioned at 132 kV.