Kathmandu, Nov. 21: There
has been a significant progress at the Nepal-Tibet cross-border transmission
line project.
According to the
government sources, Nepal is about to conclude the pre-feasibility study for
the strategic 400 KV Cross-border Transmission Lines Project at the Rashuwagadhi-Kerung
border while the Chinese side has already prepared the feasibility report.
The cross-border
transmission line will support the Lhasa-Rasuwagadhi-Kathmandu-Lumbini Railway and
power trade with the northern neighbour.
Managing Director of
the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kulman Ghishing said that both the
governments had been working on the railway and transmission line project.
“We are at the initial
phase of discussion regarding the Rasuwagadhi-Kerung transmission line
project,” he said to The Rising Nepal.
He said that as the
cross-border railway would run on electricity, there was a need to develop a
transmission line for the quality and seamless power supply.
As both the neighbours
plan to complete the railway line construction by 2022, the transmission lines
will also be developed in line with it.
During the visit of the
then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli to China in March 2016, Nepal had requested
its northern neighbour to provide financial and technical support for the
feasibility study and the preparation of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of
the cross-border transmission lines at Rasuawagadhi-Kerung, and proposed
Rashuwagadhi-Kathmandu and Kathmandu-Pokhara-Lumbini Railway Project.
Nepal signed the Belt
and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by its President Xi Jinging in May this year
and the Memorandum of Understanding of the BRI contains the detailed framework
for mutual cooperation in five areas – policy coordination, facilitation,
connectivity, unimpeded trade, financial integration and people-to-people
bonds.
Chinese Minister for
Foreign Affairs Wang Li, during his visit to Nepal in September, expressed
readiness to conduct a detailed project survey, design and feasibility study for
the cross-border rail link.
Though the railway
project cost is estimated at 8 billion USD, investment needed for the
transmission lines is yet to be assessed.
Net Metering inaugurated
Ghishing inaugurated
the net metering system at the International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD) headquarters, Khumaltar that connected the solar energy
generated by the organisation to the national electricity grid.
It is the first net
metering other than the government organisations in Nepal. Solar panels on the
roofs of the ICIMOD buildings generate about 152 kw electricity.
Net metering is a
billing mechanism which facilitates the solar energy system owners to be paid
for the electricity they added to the grid.
ICIMOD Director General
Dr. David Molden said that the new system might inspire other organisations to
follow the suit and they could contribute to the energy-mix.
Ghishing said that the
East-West Transmission Lines would be soon upgraded to 400 KVA.
“As about 2500 MW
electricity will be generated by 2020/21, the NEA is constructing transmission
lines across the country to wheel the electricity,” he said while speaking at a
workshop on ‘Hydropower-based collaboration in South Asia: Socio-economic
development and electricity trade’ organised by the ICIMOD at its headquarters
on Tuesday.
Ghishing said that 13
transmission line projects of about 2500 km length are under construction at
various locations across the country while four project of about 1215 km length
are in the planning phase.
According to him,
Hetauda-Bharatpur and Bharatpur-Bardghat 220 KVA and Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa 400 KVA
transmission line projects are under construction.
About 315 KM long
Butwal-Attariya 400 KVA transmission line is in the offing.
The 2-day workshop is
attended by energy experts from Nepal, India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand,
Bangladesh and USA.
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