220 KV Basantapur Substation Operational in Sankhuwasabha

The Basanatpur substation, part of the Koshi Corridor 220-kilovolt (KV) transmission line project, is now operational in Dharmadevi Municipality, Sankhuwasabha.

The 220/132/33 KV Basantpur substation has been charged and activated by the Nepal Electricity Authority. It will be used for transmitting power generated by private hydropower projects in Taplejung, Tehrathum, Sankhuwasabha, and Bhojpur districts of Koshi province. The Basantpur substation will receive electricity from Tumlingtar and Taplejung’s Dhungesanghu substation. A 220 KV double circuit tower has been erected from Basantpur to Inaruwa Substation in Sunsari, covering a distance of 105 kilometers.

This initiative is a crucial component of the broader project, which also saw the operationalization of the 220 KV substations in Inaruwa (Sunsari) and Tumlingtar and Baneshwar (Sankhuwasabha) in Shrawan of the previous year. The construction of these substations, carried out by the Indian company L&T under a 26.1 million US dollars contract signed in Ashad 2075 B.S, has laid the groundwork for the efficient distribution of electricity.

The Koshi Corridor 220 KV transmission line project, funded by the Government of Nepal and a concessional loan from the Export Import (Exim) Bank of the Government of India, aims to connect electricity from hydroelectric projects on the Arun and Tamor rivers to the national transmission line. The ongoing construction of the Basantpur-Dhungesanghu (Taplejung) section transmission line and the 132 KV substation at Dhungesanghu are key components of this initiative. The transmission line will link the 73 Middle Tamor and Middle Mewa Kholahydropower projects in Taplejung, currently in the final stages of construction.

With an estimated cost of 112 million US dollars, the Koshi Corridor transmission line project is a significant investment by the Government of Nepal, supplemented by a concessional loan of USD 90 million from the Exim Bank of the Government of India. Once fully operational, the Koshi Corridor is expected to transmit approximately 1000 MW from Tumlingtar to Vasantpur, another 1000 MW from Dhungesanghu to Vasantpur, and around 2000 MW from Vasantpur to Inruva. This transmission line represents Nepal’s longest 220 kV line to date. The project is on track for completion by February, with the Dhungesanghu substation nearing 95 percent completion.