The Khurkot-New Butwal section of the Kaligandaki transmission corridor project has been successfully tested. Following the completion of the section under the 220kV national pride Kaligandaki corridor project, charging started on 27 September.

The test of the 220 kV double circuit transmission line at a length of around 90 km from the Khurkot substation at Khurkot of Kushma Municipality-2 in Parbat district to the New Butwal substation in Sunawal municipality in Nawalparasi has been completed, said the project supervisor Dev Sharma Paudel. The first phase test of the transmission line was successfully completed on 16 October, 2022, he said.

Stating that power transmission is however being carried out on both circuits, he said this project is one which has long-term longevity as the line capacity of the corridor is 1,200 megawatts. However, preparations are being made to supply only 100 megawatts of power through this line for the time being.

Supervisor Poudel said a 100 MBA capacity transformer has been constructed at Bhumahi for the capacity of this line.

The project is preparing for the transmission of more quantity of electricity by installing 315 MBA transformers within two months. Project assistant engineer Yubaraj Pandey shared that works on the Khurkot-New Butwal sector under the Corridor have been completed and the charging is also being carried out.

"All tests so far have been successful. This transmission line has a capacity of 2,000 megawatts. After the completion of charging, nearly 100 megawatts of power can be transmitted within a few days," he said.

The Kaligandaki Corridor Transmission Line has been constructed with investments from the Government of Nepal and Nepal Electricity Authority, and with a concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank.

The 39.6-kilometre-long first section under the project from Dana, Annapurna rural municipality-3 of Myagdi district to Khurkot, Kushma Municipality-2 of Parbat district has already come into operation for two years. A 220/132 kV substation and a 220/132/33 kV substation have been constructed at Khurkot and Dana, respectively.

Under the second section of the Corridor, construction of the nearly 90-kilometre-long transmission line from Kushma to Bhumahi (New Butwal substation) based at Bhumahi, Sunawal Municipality-13 of Nawalparasi district has been concluded. With this, most of the work of the project has been completed. Two hundred and thirty-five towers have been constructed in this section.