Kathmandu, March 21

The newly constructed 33- 11 kV Saranghat substation in Ward 6 of Bandipur Rural Municipality in Tanahun has been inaugurated. The ceremony was jointly presided over by Kulman Ghising, managing director of Nepal Electricity Authority, and Asian Development Bank's Country Director for Nepal Arnaud Cauchois, on Monday.

The Saranghat substation was constructed as part of the social development programme for the Tanahu hydropower project, which has an installed capacity of 140 MW.

The project is being developed by Tanahu Hydropower Ltd, which is a subsidiary of Nepal Electricity Authority, with the aim of promoting social development in the region.

During the inaugural ceremony, Ghising said that efforts are underway to ensure that all households in Nepal have access to electricity within two years. 'NEA is working diligently to achieve the government's target. The authority has completed most of the contract agreements necessary for the project, and is also focusing on enhancing the reliability and quality of electricity supply in the areas where it is already available. This is a critical step in achieving the goal of providing electricity to every Nepali household, and we're committed to making it happen.'

Ghising expressed his gratitude to all those who contributed to the construction of the substation and acknowledged the significant support provided by the ADB in achieving the goal of electrification.

Cauchois commended Nepal's remarkable achievements in electrification over the past decade. He highlighted that Nepal's annual growth rate in electricity access is significantly higher, at 4.3 per cent, compared to the global average of 0.8 per cent.

'The ADB recognises and applauds this accomplishment, and is committed to supporting Nepal's infrastructure sector in the future,' he said.

The Tanahu Rural Electrification and Distribution Network Improvement Project, overseen by the Nepal Electricity Authority's Project Management Directorate, has successfully completed the construction of a transmission line. The substation construction has also been completed and was inaugurated on Friday, marking a significant milestone in the project's progress. This achievement will contribute towards the improvement of the rural electrification and distribution network in Tanahu, and will help to provide reliable and quality electricity to households and businesses in the region.

Under the project, 19-kmlong 33 kV transmission line from Khairenitar Substation to Ghiring at Shuklagandaki Municipality-5 in Tanahu district and 33-11 kV Ghiring Substation have already been completed and operational.

A power transformer of 6-8 MVA capacity has been placed in Saranghat substation. Locally, three feeder lines of 11 kV have been taken out from the substation for power supply.

For the construction of two substations and the electrification of Tanahu, a contract agreement was signed with East India Udyog/Waiba Infratech JV in November 2018.

It is aimed to complete all the works under rural electrification within the current financial year.

The project was implemented with the investment of Nepal government and NEA and concessional loan from the ADB.

A version of this article appears in the print on March 22, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.