As there are several hydro power projects under construction and under development in the Trishuli river corridor, the transmission line aims to evacuate the green energy from the hydropower by bringing the power to the national grid.

The south boundary of the project is located about 37km North-West of Kathmandu and north boundary is located about 53 km North-West of Kathmandu in Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts respectively.

The project is jointly financed by the Government of Nepal, German Development Cooperation through (KfW), European Investment Bank (EIB) and the European Union (EU).

The project is expected to contribute for increased energy access across the country and support for substantial greenhouse gas emission reductions ultimately supporting for the economic development of the country. 

Real problem

The project is delayed for several reasons but mainly due to the nonperformance of the contractor.

The IPPs of around 200 MW (Rsuwagadhi-111, Sanjen-42.5, Upper Sanjen, 14.8, Langtang Khola-20, Upper Mailung Khola-14.3) are targeted to commission by April-June 2023 and in case the transmission infrastructure is not ready ( which is very likely ) there will be huge energy spillage.

Expectations/promise (what would happen if? What if?)

Both NEA and the contractor management has promised to put the highest effort to complete the project as earliest as possible. Constant monitoring of progress on ground and political follow up to keep the momentum is required at this stage.

The spillage of around 160 MW of hydro power is very likely if the evacuation arrangement could not be established by end of June 2023.

Solution

Finding the critical path, effective resource management and prioritizing the remaining works are the areas to be looked by the contractor where NEA and the consultants should also support the contractor.