As a part of the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project, a substation of 220 kV capacity is under construction at Dharapani of Nason Rural Municipality-1 in Manang district.

Similarly, the construction of a 220 kV substation under construction at Khudi in Marsyangdi Rural Municipality-3, Lamjung under the project has reached its final stage.

The construction of the Dharapani substation is being advanced targeting to complete it within a year and a half, according to a press statement issued by Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) on Friday. Construction of civil structures, such as the substation, the place where the power transformer will be kept and the control room, is going on.

The NEA said that the final phase of the construction of the Khudi substation has been advanced to complete within the next three months.

Dharapani and Khudi substations will have power transformers of 220/132 kV, 100 MVA and 132/33 kV, 30 MVA and 220/132 kV, 160 MVA and 132/33 kV, 50 MVA capacity respectively.

The necessary arrangement of electricity supply has been made locally in both substations. After the construction is completed and the local power supply from the substation starts, the power supply to Lamjung and Manang will be reliable and of high quality, said the NEA.

Managing Director of NEA Kul Man Ghising inspected the project site and requested all those involved in the construction of the substation and transmission lines to complete the construction within the timeframe.

In addition, Ghising discussed with the locals of the Dharapani area and requested them to provide necessary support in the construction of the substations and transmission lines.

"Construction of contracted hydropower projects to connect to the Marsyangdi Corridor transmission line has already started, so the construction of this line should be completed as soon as possible. The construction should be accelerated with special attention to the schedule and quality of work," said Ghising.

"The electricity of the national transmission line has reached Manang despite the geographical difficulty, but there is a problem with reliable and quality electricity supply. The construction of the transmission lines and substations should be completed as soon as possible to improve the supply," he said.

The Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV transmission line project has been started for the electricity generated from the Marsyangdi and its tributaries to flow into the national transmission system. About 1,600 megawatts of electricity can be transmitted through the transmission lines, said the NEA.

Under the project, the construction of the 114 km double circuit transmission line from Bharatpur in Chitwan to Dharapani in Manang has been divided into three packages. Under the first package, about a 68 km transmission line from Udipur to New Bharatpur Substation via Markichoke in Tanahun is under construction. Out of 199 towers in this section, 125 foundations have been laid while 65 towers have been erected.

Under the second package, the construction of 220 kV substations has been completed at Udipur in Lamjung and Bharatpur in Chitwan. Under the third package, Dharapani-Khudi-Udipur 46 km transmission line and Dharapani and Khudi substations are under construction.

The foundations of 17 towers have been laid in the Khudi-Udipur transmission line section of about 16 km. Similarly, eight towers have been erected.

Under this section, some locals of Besishahar Municipality-8 have been obstructing the construction for the past two years, demanding that the route of the transmission line be changed. They demanded that if the line is not moved, 100 per cent compensation for the land under the right of way should be given.

A total of 12 towers are to be constructed at that location. The compensation amount for the acquisition of land for the construction of the tower has been determined and about 80 per cent of the land owners have already received the amount, according to the NEA.