Bharatpur-Bardaghat transmission line in partial operation

By A Staff Reporter Kathmandu, June 29: A partial section of Bharatpur-Bardaghat 220 kV transmission line from Bharatpur of Chitwan to Bardaghat of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta east) has come into operation.

The 56-km transmission line from the Bharatpur Metropolitan City-11 substation at Aaptari in Chitwan to Arun Khola in Nawalparasi was brought into operation on Monday.

The Nepal electricity Authority (NEA) has charged the section where the construction was completed through alternative arrangements as it was not possible to send additional power from Bharatpur to Bardaghat due to obstruction at Dumkibas in Nawalparasi.

Of the 246 towers in the 74-km transmission line, 244 have been constructed.

The completed construction line of Bharatpur-Bardaghat 220 kV transmission line has been tapped in Arun Khola and connected to the existing 132 kV transmission line. The Bharatpur-Bardaghat 132 kV transmission line is separated from the Arun Khola and connected to the Bharatpur-Bardaghat 220 kV transmission line.

Electricity will be supplied from Bharatpur substation to Arun Khola from the new 220 kV line and then from the old 132 KV line to Bardaghat substation.

Now, electricity will be supplied to Kawasoti and other areas east of the Arun Khola from the old 132 kV transmission line through Pragatinagar substation. About 25 MW of electricity is consumed in those areas.

After the supply of electricity from the old 132 kV line to Kawasoti and other areas, about 100 MW of electricity can be sent directly from Bharatpur to Bardaghat through the line which came into operation from Monday.

At present, electricity was supplied to the Kawasoti area from the Bharatpur-Bardaghat 132 kV line and the rest was supplied towards Bardaghat.

The current Bharatpur-Bardaghat 132 kV transmission line is only a single circuit. Due to this, it was not possible to supply more than 80 MW of electricity from Bharatpur to Bardaghat.

By charging a partial section of the Bharatpur-Bardaghat 220 kV transmission line, about 25 MW of load has been shifted from Kawasoti and other areas, so additional power can be supplied from Bharatpur to the west, said the NEA.

NEA Managing director Kul Man Ghising said that additional 25 MW of electricity can be supplied from Bharatpur to Bardaghat after the section from Bharatpur to Pragtinagar is charged and this will facilitate the management of power supply in the western region.

"The demand for electricity in Bharatpur is high but we were not able to send more electricity due to a lack of capacity of the existing 132 kV line. Now that the load has been shifted to the Kawasoti area, we can send more electricity to Bardaghat," he said.

He said that the compulsory import of power supply from Tanakpur in the western region would be reduced and the voltage improved.

The construction of Bharatpur-Bardaghat transmission line has not been completed due to obstruction of locals and an interim order of the Supreme Court (SC). The SC on Sunday dismissed the writ petition, paving the way for the construction of two towers.

The locals had filed a writ petition in the SC demanding a change in the route of the transmission line. Due to the interim order issued by the SC, the construction work of the line was stopped from April 2021.

Project Chief Santosh Sah said that the process of determining the compensation and the construction of towers will be started now as the writ petition has been rejected by the SC.