The construction of a 220 kV capacity substation in Udipur of Besisahar Municipality, Lamjung, has been completed as part of the Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line Project.

The Udipur substation, based on ‘Gas Insulated Substation (GIS)’ technology, houses power transformers with capacities of 220/132 kV, 160 MVA, and 132/33 kV, 50 MVA. After completing the substation’s construction, all equipment, including the power transformers, has been successfully tested. The 132 kV substation has already been put into operation.

As per the power purchase agreement between Nepal Electricity Authority and Himalayan Power Partner, the electricity generated by the 27 MW Dordikhola Hydropower Project has been connected to this substation. The Dordikhola Corridor 132 kV double-circuit transmission line, constructed to transmit electricity produced from Dordikhola and its tributaries in Lamjung, will now be connected to this substation.

Due to the delay in completing Udipur substation, the electricity from the Dordikhola Hydropower Project and Dordikhola Corridor transmission line was temporarily routed to the switchyard of the Middle Marsyangdi Hydropower Plant, bypassing the Udipur substation. Now that the substation is complete, the Dordikhola Corridor transmission line will be routed into this substation, and the electricity will be transmitted toward the Middle Marsyangdi switchyard. From there, the electricity will flow into the national transmission grid via the Marsyangdi-Middle Marsyangdi 132 kV transmission line.

Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority, Kulman Ghising, mentioned that local electricity supply through a 33 kV line from the Udipur substation will ensure reliable and dependable electricity in the area. He further added, “The work on the 220 kV transmission line from Udipur through Marke Chok in Tanahun to Bharatpur in Chitwan is ongoing, with a target for completion by next Baisakh (Nepali calendar). Once this line is completed, it will ease the flow of electricity generated by the hydropower projects in the region, which is why the construction of this line is given high priority.”

The Marsyangdi Corridor 220 kV Transmission Line Project was initiated to transmit electricity generated from the Marsyangdi River and its tributaries into the national grid. The transmission line will have the capacity to transmit around 1,600 MW of electricity. A 113 km double-circuit transmission line is currently under construction from Bharatpur in Chitwan to Dharapani in Manang.

The project has been divided into three packages. Under the first package, a 67 km transmission line from Udipur to the new Bharatpur substation is under construction. Among the 110 towers in the Udipur-Markichok section, foundations for 90 have been laid. In the Markichok-Bharatpur section, foundations for 35 of the 83 towers located on private land have been completed. The remaining towers are in forest areas, and arrangements for land use and tree removal are being finalized, according to Project Chief Narayan Regmi.

To construct the transmission line from Udipur in Lamjung to the new Bharatpur substation via Gorkha and Tanahun, 69.69 hectares of national forest land will be used, and 10,225 trees will need to be cut down. Under the second package, the construction of the new Bharatpur and Udipur substations has been completed.

The third package involves the construction of a 46 km transmission line from Manang (Dharapani) to Khudi-Udipur and two substations. About 90% of the construction of the 220/132/33 kV Khudi substation has been completed, and the 220/132/33 kV Manang substation is also under construction. Out of the 46 towers required for the Khudi-Udipur transmission line section, foundations for 22 have been laid, and six towers have been erected.

The estimated cost of the project, being constructed with investment from the Government of Nepal and concessional loans from the European Investment Bank (EIB), is around 16 billion Nepali Rupees.