KATHMANDU: The construction of the Bahrabise substation, which is crucial for connecting Sindhupalchok and surrounding districts to the national power grid, has been completed. The substation houses 160 MVA, 132/11 kV, and 5 MVA power transformers, with a total capacity of 220/132 kV. All equipment, based on Gas Insulated System (GIS) technology, has been successfully tested. Additionally, a 400 kV substation is under construction at Bahrabise.
Altogether 120 megawatts of electricity generated by the Mid-Bhotekosi hydropower project in Sindhupalchowk will be connected to this substation. The Mid-Bhotekoshi hydropower project was built under the initiative of Chilime Hydropower Company, a subsidiary of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).
The NEA has stated that the Bahrabise substation will be energized with electricity from the Mid-Bhotekosi project. Currently, the tunnel is undergoing repairs due to water leakage during testing of structures and equipment.
NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising announced that the tunnel repairs are aimed to be completed by the second week of August. On Saturday, a high-level delegation, including Ghising, monitored the repair work of the substation, transmission line, and tunnel at Mid-Bhotekosi, urging the project management and contractor to complete the work ahead of schedule.
During the inspection, Executive Director Ghising assured that with the completion of the Bahrabise substation, there would be no issues connecting electricity generated from Mid-Bhotekosi to the national grid. The power from the Mid-Bhotekosi Project will be transmitted to the Bahrabise substation via a 220 kV transmission line. Ghising noted that the project has already constructed the towers for the approximately four-kilometer 220 kV single circuit transmission line from the powerhouse switchyard to the Bahrabise substation.
Currently, cables have been installed on about two kilometers of the transmission line. However, work on the remaining two kilometers has been stalled due to protests by locals of Palanti in Ward Nos. 3 and 4 of Bahrabise municipality. -- RSS
