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The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has extended the national electricity grid to Hatiya in Bhotkhola Rural Municipality-3 of northern Sankhuwasabha district, marking a significant step towards improving power access in the remote settlement.

The project, implemented by the Planning and Technical Services Department under the NEA’s Distribution and Consumer Services Directorate, is expected to ensure a more reliable and adequate electricity supply in the geographically isolated area.

Local residents, government offices, health institutions, grain mills and cottage industries are among those expected to benefit from the grid extension. According to Rambabu Chaudhary, chief of the NEA’s Khandbari Distribution Centre, three-phase electricity meters have been installed at the Bhotkhola Rural Municipality office and the hospital in Hatiya to facilitate the start of the supply.

Hatiya previously relied on electricity generated by a micro-hydropower project. The extension of the national grid is expected to improve the availability, consistency and reliability of electricity in the area, Chaudhary said.

The NEA has also initiated the process of extending the national grid to Kimathanka, a settlement in Bhotkhola Rural Municipality bordering China. The bidding process for the project is underway, and the authority aims to bring Kimathanka onto the national grid within the current fiscal year.

According to the NEA, it has been prioritising the expansion of electricity access to remote and geographically challenging settlements across Sankhuwasabha district. Around 95 percent of the district’s households currently receive electricity from the national grid, while the remaining households rely on alternative sources, including micro-hydropower and solar energy systems.