220 kV Chilime-Trishuli Transmission Line: Final Stage For completion

With his third visit to the site in just two months, Kul Man Ghising, Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), is able to bring the construction of the 220 kV Chilime-Trishuli transmission line to the final stage.

Sept. 10, 2024, 8:29 a.m. Published in Magazine Issue: VOL. 18, No. 04, September.13,2024 (Bhadra-28. 2081) Publisher and Editor: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

chilime1.jpg

For Kul Man Ghising, Managing Director of NEA, there is no holiday in his daily calendar. Ghising has to come to the office on regular days to attend meetings and manage day-to-day affairs.

Apart from the managerial and administrative work, he also has another important task of accelerating the pace of construction of hydropower projects and transmission lines.

As the MD spends most of his regular work in office hours, he has been allocating his weekly official leave to visit the construction sites to inspect the progress of the projects.

After his appointment as Managing Director for the second term, MD Ghising frequently visits the project sites and resolves the problems faced by contractors and disputes with local communities.

With his efforts, number of transmission line projects like 220 kV Chilme-Trishuli, 400 kV Inaruwa-Dhalkbar-Hetauda transmission line project are nearing completion.

220 kV Kaligandaki corridor, 220 kV Koshi corridor, 220 kV Marsyangdi corridor, 220 kV Hetauda-Bharatpur, 220 kV Bharatpur Bardaghat and Marsyangdi corridor have been completed. There are dozens of 132 kV transmission line projects have been completed in recent times. MD Ghising has used his leave to visit the sites.

The 220 kV Chilime-Trishuli transmission line, constructed through the difficult geographical terrain of Rasuwa and Nuwakot, is a strategically important project to evacuate electricity from the region.

Constructed with the support of the European Investment Bank, the 220 kV Chilime-Trishuli transmission project has been delayed for years. However, the project is now in the final stages of completion.

About the project

The construction of the 220 kV Chilime-Trishuli transmission line, which was started to transmit the electricity generated by the hydropower projects under construction on the Trishuli River and its tributaries to the national grid, has reached its final stage.

The final phase of construction of the 28 km transmission line from Chilime Hub Substation located in Thambuchet, Amachhodingmo Rural Municipality of Rasuwa to Trishuli 3B Hub Substation located in Pahrebensi of Kispang Rural Municipality of Nuwakot is underway.

The remaining works of the transmission line are being completed and the construction will be in full swing before Dashain. As part of the Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV transmission line project, the construction of 220 ÷ 132 ÷ 33 kV Chilime Hub and Trishuli 3B Hub substations have been completed.

Of the 76 towers on the transmission line, 75 have been completed. One tower connection work is in the final stage. Of the 28 km transmission line, only five km remains to be laid. Approximately 200 workers are employed to connect the tower and pull the remaining lines.

chilime3.jpg

The Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Ghising, Deputy Managing Director of Broadcasting Directorate Dilghayukumar Shrestha and other high level team inspected the transmission line construction work on Saturday and set a deadline to complete the work before Dashain.

After discussion between the project management, consultants and the contractor company, the team decided not to delay the construction work, added more workers to speed up the work and instructed the team to complete the remaining work schedule and execute accordingly.

The team also monitored the site where the last tower was being connected and where the wire was still to be pulled.

Power from the 111 MW Rasuwagadhi and 42.5 MW Sanjen hydropower projects, which are being constructed under the management of Chilime Hydropower, a subsidiary of the authority, will be connected to this transmission line.

Both projects have been completed and are in the power generation stage. Therefore, the authority is under pressure to complete the construction of the transmission line as soon as possible.

The Managing Director of the Authority, Mr. Ghising, said that the transmission line under construction in the geographically very dangerous and difficult Himalayan region has now reached the stage of completion after continuous efforts.

"Due to the failure of this line, the two hydropower projects cannot start generating electricity. Despite the difficult geographical conditions, the construction of the line has reached its final stage. Let us all make last efforts to complete the remaining work and complete the construction before Dashain," said MD Ghising.

Uttargaya Rural Municipality-1 from Tiru to Siruchet in the same district is 1,235 meters. The wire will be pulled with the help of drones in the section above Mailungkholah. All preparations for the crossing of Mailung have been completed.

It is necessary to build a tower in a geographically very dangerous and difficult mountainous area because it is dense and there is no road, so stones and sand, tower materials, water should be carried by people or khachad.

The construction of the project has been affected by floods, landslides, poor performance of contractors, problems of land use in forest areas, obstruction of local people and covid-19.

As the construction site is located in the Himalayan and hilly areas, the weather also has a negative impact on the construction of the line.

chilime.jpg

The transmission line was constructed in an area ranging from 680 to 2600 meters above sea level.

33 towers had to be built in places where there was no access road. A separate access road was constructed to reach the site. The project has constructed more than 20 kilometers of access roads for the construction of the line.

9 towers were built by transporting construction materials and equipment from Khachhad and people. 2 towers were built by transporting construction materials by helicopter.

Under the transmission line, 20 km double circuit Chilime-Mailung section and 8 km four (multi) circuit line up to Mailung-Trishuli 3B hub have been constructed.

Under the leadership of Korean companies, a multi-circuit line will be constructed to connect the power of the 216 MW Upper Trishuli-1 hydropower projects. Upper Trishuli-1 will bear 60 percent of the cost of construction of the multi-circuit line.

A contract for the construction of transmission lines and substations was signed with the Chinese company Pinggao Group of Companies in October 2074. The contract was implemented in December 2074.

More on Economy

The Latest

Latest Magazine

VOL. 18, No. 05, October.04,2024 (Ashoj-18. 2081) Publisher and Editor: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

VOL. 18, No. 04, September.13,2024 (Bhadra-28. 2081) Publisher and Editor: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

VOL. 18, No. 03, August.23,2024 (Bhadra-07. 2081) Publisher and Editor: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75

VOL. 18, No. 02, August.09,2024 (Sharwan-25. 2081) Publisher and Editor: Keshab Prasad Poudel Online Register Number: DOI 584/074-75