By A Staff Reporter
Kathmandu, Feb. 5: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli has inaugurated the first section of the Kaligandaki Corridor 220 KV transmission line project from Kushma in Parbat to Dana in Myagdi district.
He also inaugurated 220/132 KV substation in Kushma Municipality-2 Khurkot and 220/132/33 KV substation in Annapurna Rural Municipality-3, Dana of Myagdi under the same project. Both the inaugurations were made via virtual programme on Thursday.
Addressing the inauguration programme virtually from Kathmandu, Prime Minister Oli said that Nepal has reached the stage of exporting electricity while load-shedding has become a thing of the past.
He said that Nepal would be able to earn income by selling electricity to neighbouring countries after the completion of projects under construction.
On the occasion, Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Top Bahadur Rayamajhi directed the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to focus on the construction of the second section of the transmission line as the construction of the first section has been completed and is now operational.
The construction of Kaligandaki Corridor Transmission Line was started with the investment of government and concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank to transmit the power generated from the hydel projects to be constructed in the Kaligandaki River and its tributaries.
Another transmission line is also being constructed from Kushma to Bhumahi (New Butwal substation) of Nawalparasi under the second section of the corridor.
Acting Managing Director of the NEA Hitendra Dev Shakya said that the transmission line infrastructure had been created for the supply of energy from the hydropower projects

under construction in the Kaligandaki River basin and others to be constructed in the future as well. He said that every effort is being made to expedite the construction of the second section of the project.
The first section of the 39.6 km long transmission line has 110 towers. There will be 114 towers in this section, including four to be constructed by the 40 MW Raghuganga Hydropower Project being constructed by NEA through a subsidiary company.
Three power transformers of 33.33 MVA and one power transformer of 25 MVA have been connected to Dana substation.
Likewise, one 33.33 MVA and two 100 MVA transformers have been installed at Khurkot substation. Electricity will be distributed in the area through these substations.
A contract worth Rs 2.74 billion was signed on April 24, 2016 with Tata Project and Joint Venture (JV) of Chint Electrics India for the construction of the first section of the transmission line and substations of the project.
The company had started construction on May 30, 2016. The consultant of the project is Power Grid Corporation of India.
(With inputs from Laxaman Kafle in Kathmandu and Subash Sharma Lamichhane from Parbat.)