Substation construction expedited

By A Staff Reporter

Kathmandu, Jan 11 : The Nepal Electricity Authority has made it clear that the construction of Lapsiphedi substation has been expedited by addressing the genuine demands of project-affected locals of Shankharapur Municipality-3, Bojini of Kathmandu.

During the acquisition of the land for the substation construction site, the concerned landowners had willingly received the compensation and all the legal procedures including initial environmental assessment (IE) have been completed, said the NEA.

The NEA said that the currently selected location is the best among the available options.

Accordingly, the Authority has made it clear that the substation cannot be moved elsewhere as the bids for the construction of the transmission line and substation are being accepted and the contract work is being started.

It is planned to supply electricity from the hydroelectric projects constructed and to be constructed in the Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi rivers and their tributaries to Kathmandu Valley and to build a 400/220/132/11 kV substation at Lapsiphedi for local supply.

A 400 kV transmission line will be connected to the substation starting from New Khimti in Ramechhap and passing through Bahrabise in Sindhupalchok to Lapsiphedi.

The New Khimti-Bahrbise-Lapsiphedi 400 kV transmission line is in the final stage of construction.

Similarly, a 132 kV transmission line and substation from Lapsiphedi substation to Changunarayan in Bhaktapur is under construction. The construction of 132 kV is in the process of completion.

For the acquisition of 170 ropanis land of 50 land owners for the substation, a notice was published in June 2017 BS and the compensation was determined in January 2018.

Except for one landowner, all have accepted the compensation amount willingly, said the NEA.

Around Rs. 500 million have been distributed for compensation. A legal problem has arisen in the case of one person who did not receive the compensation. Even though the said person is using the land, it has become a problem to give compensation as it was not registered.

Efforts are being made to solve the legal problem and pay ncompensation, said the NEA.

Substations and transmission lines are being constructed with the investment of the government and the NEA and the concessional loan provided through the 'Electricity Transmission Expansion and System Improvement Project' of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The estimated cost for the construction of New Khimti-Kathmandu 400 kV and Lapsiphedi-Changunarayan 132 kV transmission lines and four substations is about Rs. 18 billion.

For the construction of the project, the first loan agreement was signed with ADB on March 23, 2012 and the second loan agreement was signed on September 10, 2017.

The first contract agreement for the construction of Lapsiphedi and Changunarayan substations was signed on December 14, 2017. The contractor worked for one year for the construction of Lapsiphedi substation. However, as the work of the contractor was not satisfactory, the contract was terminated and a new contract was signed on November, 19 2020.

There was no objection in Lapsiphedi when the first contractor was working. However, after the second contractor went to work, the work was interrupted.

Due to the obstruction, no progress has been made in the substation construction site so far.

Because of the fact that the work of Lapsiphedi substation has not yet been completed, the contract has been extended until December 2023.

Managing Director of NEA Kul Man Ghising said that the Authority will address the legitimate demands of the locals such as road maintenance and expansion, water supply scheme, school buildings, construction of monasteries, and employment for the locals during the construction of the project.

He requested to help in the construction of the project which is the backbone for supply of power in Kathmandu Valley without interrupting the construction as the compensation determination of the land along the track of the transmission line will be done with maximum flexibility.

Ghising made it clear that the substation cannot be shifted to another place as per the demand of unrelated people at the instigation of some people when the construction of the transmission line is at the final stage.

"Activities are taking place to fulfill the political interests of some people and to take unfair advantage at the instigation of national and international non-governmental organisations. Such activities will have a long-term impact not only on this project but also nationally."

Disruption in construction of transmission lines

Under the Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 400 kV transmission line, there is an obstacle in the construction of four towers in Shankharapur Municipality-3, Kathmandu.

The Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 400 kV transmission line is under construction to supply electricity generated in Ramechhap, Dolakha, Sindhupalchowk and other districts to Kathmandu Valley.

Similarly, a 132 kV transmission line is being constructed from Lapsiphedi substation to Changunarayan substation to supply electricity to the valley. A 132 kV substation is under construction at Changunarayan.

The Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 400 kV transmission line is being constructed by dividing it into two sections.

In the first section, there are 118 towers along the 44 km transmission line from New Khimti to Bahrabise. In the second section, there are 122 towers along the 46 km transmission line from Bahrabise to Lapsiphedi.