Kathmandu, April 13

With an aim to provide reliable electricity to the customers in Kathmandu valley, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is planning to build a 220-kVA new high-voltage transmission backbone line on the outskirts of the valley.

Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Barsha Man Pun, who is also the chairperson of NEA, said they are going to double the transmission system capacity to meet the increasing demand of power in the capital.

To enhance the capacity of the power supply system, the government is preparing to instal a new high-capacity substation on the site of the now defunct Himal Cement Factory at Chobhar dry port that is currently under construction.

Minister Pun informed that they had requested the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies to provide the necessary land to build the substation and the industry ministry has accepted their proposal. “NEA will soon construct the new substation in Chobhar.”

At present, the existing transmission system in Kathmandu valley has the capacity to supply up to 500 megawatts of energy. Minister Pun informed that NEA is planning to double this capacity and build a power transmission network of 1,200 megawatts.

“Last winter, the demand for electricity in the valley had reached 450 megawatts and it has been rising every year,” he said. He added the ministry in coordination with NEA is gearing up to instal new transformers and strengthen the power transmission backbone in the valley for reliable electricity supply.

Minister Pun informed that the new substation will help provide more reliable power especially in Lalitpur and Bhaktapur. “It will benefit areas beyond the Ring Road,” he said. “It will also make transmission smoother within the Ring Road.”

“The valley’s transmission system will be more reliable once the new substation in Chobhar is installed,” the minister added.

Stating that customers have often been complaining that they are facing problems of electricity tripping during the winter season, he said, “Once the new substation is built, this issue will also be addressed.”

According to Minister Pun, due to the lockdown and consequent shortage of cooking gas, people have been shifting to induction stoves for cooking purposes and sales of such stoves have soared.

“So, this is the right time to promote the use of electric utensils for cooking and we must provide reliable electricity to the customers,” he added.

A version of this article appears in e-paper on April 14, 2020 of The Himalayan Times.