The process of constructing electricity substations has begun in Chhaila of Baragung Muktikshetra-3 and Charang of Lomanthang Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-1 in Mustang district.

Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) Nawalpur Rural Electrification and Chhaila/Charang (Mustang) 33 kV Transmission Line and Substation Project has initiated work on two substations in these areas.

The construction process for the 33 kV transmission line and substations in Mustang has moved forward following the initiative of Lomanthang Damodarkunda Rural Municipality Chairperson Lopsang Chhomfel Bista. On Thursday, Bista, along with representatives of the project and the construction companies, visited Chhaila and Charang for on-site inspection and surveying of the substation sites.

Project Chief Bimal Raj Raut said that an Indian construction company, Devyans, in collaboration with Nepal’s Bisan Construction, under the Devyans-Bisan JV, has signed a contract worth Rs 380 million for the project. He said the NEA signed the contract last year with the objective of fully electrifying Mustang district.

Although the NEA initiated the substation construction process a year ago, Raut said it took around 11 months to complete all tender procedures. Under the agreement between the project and the construction company, the two ‘three MVA’ 33 kV substations in Chhaila and Charang are to be completed within 15 months.

The two substations are being constructed at Chhaila and Charang, which lie about 103 kilometers from the central transmission line substation at Kowang in Thasang-2. Raut said the substations have to be built at an altitude of around 3,800 meters and designed to withstand high-altitude conditions, which has increased the cost compared to standard designs.

According to him, the substations are being designed in a way that they will not face problems even during snowfall, and a detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared with high-altitude operation in mind. While inspecting the construction sites, Raut expressed confidence that once completed, the substations will ease electricity supply and improve voltage stability in the region.

Similarly, Chairperson Bista of Lomanthang Damodarkunda Rural Municipality said that with only one 33 kV substation in Thasang, Mustang has long faced problems in electricity supply. He said the construction of new substations has been initiated through the efforts of local governments and concerned stakeholders to provide a long-term solution to the problem.

Bista added that he has been urging NEA and construction company staff to speed up the work. He expressed confidence that once the substations are completed, they will not only resolve electricity shortages but also support tourism, agriculture, and industrial development in Mustang.

Earlier, under the same project, the expansion of the electricity transmission line from Kowang in Mustang to Charang of Lomanthang Damodarkunda-1 had begun. The transmission line project, which has a contract period of two years, has achieved 95 percent physical progress so far, according to construction company representative Navaraj Kadariya. He said work was delayed in some sections due to site-related issues.