Butwal-Gorakhpur cross-border transmission line : Government initiates homework
KATHMANDU, JUL 23 -
The government has begun homework for the construction of the second cross-border transmission line between Nepal and India.
The Ministry of Energy sent a letter to its Indian authorities through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs a few weeks ago in this regard. The Foreign Ministry however, has asked the Energy Ministry to get Finance Ministry’s approval first for the construction of the Butwal-Gorakhpur cross-border transmission line .
“We are moving with the second cross-border transmission line project as there will be a number of hydropower projects in the Western Nepal in future and we need transmission lines to evacuate electricity generated by them,” said Energy Secretary Hari Ram Koirala.
He said the Energy Ministry will soon seek the Finance Ministry’s approval and then send letter to Indian authorities. “As power trade between the two countries has immense potential, we should not delay the second cross-border transmission line,” Koirala said.
Nepal and India had agreed for the construction of the 400KV transmission line during the first meeting of the ministerial-level Joint Commission on Water Resources (JMCWR) held in New Delhi in the second week of February.
According to Energy Ministry officials, the Indian side has sought Nepal’s commitment on when and how much energy will be traded. “The Indian government will not invest in the transmission line unless we assure that we are extending power trade in future,” said senior ministry officials, adding that the ministry is also preparing a detailed proposal of the additional power exchange between the two countries.
A feasibility study conducted by the Nepal Electricity Authority in 2006 had suggested the transmission line’s length of 130 km (30-35 km on Nepali land) and estimated the cost at Rs 4.25 billion. “The study was conducted for 132 KV transmission line, but it has been upgraded to 400 KV,” said Anup Kumar Upadhyaya, spokesperson for the Energy ministry. He said as there is a huge settlement in the area, another feasibility study should be conducted.
The government had previously identified four transmission lines between Nepal and India, including Siligurhi-Anarmani and Duhabhi-Kataiya. However, the Indian side rejected these two lines.
The Energy Ministry is planning to seek loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the transmission line. “The ministry will approach ADB for the loan after the Finance Ministry approves the proposal,” said an official.
Upadhyaya said about 1,200MW electricity can be evacuated from the second transmission line. “The construction of the second transmission line is necessary especially because more than five big hydropower projects with a collective capacity of around 20,000 MW are conducting feasibility study in Gandak basin in the West,” he said. “As the country cannot alone consume the total energy generated, it is necessary to export the surplus power to India.”
Source: The Kathmandu Post
