Basantapur substation constructed in Dharmadevi Municipality of Sankhuwasabha under the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project has come into operation.

The Nepal Electricity Authority has charged and brought into operation the 220/132/33 kV Basantpur substation, built at a height of 2,450 metres above sea level.

Under the project, 200 kV substations constructed in Inaruwa of Sunsari and Tumlingtar and Baneshwor of Sankhuwasabha have been operational since July 2022.

A contract was signed with the Indian company L&T in June 2018 for USD 26.1 million dollars for the construction of substations.

Managing Director of NEA Kul Man Ghising said that infrastructure has been prepared as a backbone for the supply and distribution of the electricity generated by the hydropower projects being constructed in Taplejung, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha and Bhojpur districts of Koshi Province.

"The transmission line and substation have been prepared, but since the hydroelectric projects cannot be built, the 220 kV line has to be run at a reduced capacity," said Ghising.

"As electricity generated in the hilly districts of Koshi Province will be supplied to Morang and Sunsari districts through the Inaruwa substation, there will be a production source for electricity supply in that area. So, the voltage will be improved and the electricity supply will be reliable with better quality."

The Basantapur substation will receive electricity from Tumlingtar and Dhungesanghu substation of Taplejung. A 220 kV double-circuit tower has been constructed from Basantapur to Inaruwa substation in Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality of Sunsari, and the line has been brought into operation by extending the wire on one side of the tower.

The construction of one 220 kV double-circuit transmission line from Basantapur to Tumlingtar via Baneshwor has been completed.

The length of Inaruwa-Basantapur-Tumlingtar transmission line is 105 kilometers. A double circuit tower has been constructed, while currently only a single-circuit wire pulling line has been brought into operation.

Under the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project, substations and transmission lines have been constructed at Tumlingtar, Basantapur and Baneshwor with the investment of the government of Nepal and the concessional loan of the Export Import Bank of the government of India.

The electricity generated from the hydropower projects being built on the Arun and Tamor rivers and their tributaries will be connected to the Inaruwa substation through the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line.

The Koshi Corridor has been constructed to connect the electricity of the hydropower projects to be built in Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Tehrathum and Taplejung in the Koshi Province to the national transmission line.

The Basantapur-Dhungesanghu (Taplejung) section transmission line under Koshi Corridor and 132 kV substation at Dhungesanghu are under construction.

Out of 128 towers on the 34-km double-circuit transmission line, only six towers are left to be constructed. The work is underway with the aim of completing the 26-km transmission line of single-circuit by January, 2024.

The contract for the construction of another circuit of Basantapur-Dhungesanghu 220 transmission line has been signed and the work has already started.

The work being done with the investment of Nepal government and NEA is set to be completed by February, 2024.

About 95 per cent construction of Dhungesanghu substation has been completed. The 73 MW each Middle Tamor and Middle Mewakhola hydropower projects which are in the final stage of construction in Taplejung will be connected to this transmission line.

The transmission line project with an estimated cost of USD 112 million was built with the investment of the government of Nepal and the concessional loan of Indian Exim Bank. The Exim Bank has provided a concessional loan of USD 90 million for the project.

Through the Koshi Corridor transmission line project, about 1,000 MW of electricity can be transmitted from Tumlingtar to Basantapur, about 1,000 MW from Dhungesanghu to Basantapur and about 2,000 MW from Basantapur to Inaruwa.

The Koshi Corridor is the longest 220 kV transmission line of Nepal so far.