The construction of the Dhalkebar–Bara section under the Hetauda–Dhalkebar–Inaruwa 400 kV transmission line project has been completed, which is expected to enhance Nepal’s power transmission system and expand electricity trade between Nepal and India.

A 100-kilometre transmission line from the Dhalkebar substation in Dhanusha, passing through Mahottari, Sarlahi, Rautahat, and reaching Saraswati Danda on the Bara-Makwanpur border, has been completed.

The 154-kilometre 400 kV double-circuit transmission line from Dhalkebar to the Inaruwa substation in ward 4 of Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality of Sunsari was completed earlier and has been operational since June last year. To ease the westward flow of electricity, one circuit of the approximately 60-kilometre 400 kV transmission line near the Chandranigahapur (Chapur) market in Rautahat has been charged at 132 kV.

The existing East-West 132 kV transmission line was tapped at this location, and the 400 kV transmission line was charged at 132 kV on Thursday in the presence of Nepal Electricity Authority’s Managing Director Kulman Ghising.

Ghising said the newly charged 400 kV line at 132 kV would remove infrastructural constraints for transmitting electricity from Dhalkebar westwards and vice versa.

“To address the current energy shortage during winter, additional electricity can be imported from India via the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line during the day. This will allow reservoir-based and semi-reservoir projects like Kulekhani, Upper Tamakoshi, Kaligandaki, Marsyangdi, and Middle Marsyangdi to store water during the day and operate in the evening and night,” Ghising said.

“With the onset of the monsoon, surplus electricity within Nepal can be consumed domestically, and any excess power can be transmitted from western regions to Dhalkebar, increasing electricity exports to India. Additionally, upgrading the existing 132 kV transmission line by replacing conductors will enhance its capacity,” he added.

The authority is upgrading the 132 kV double-circuit transmission line from Hetauda to Dhalkebar by replacing old low-capacity conductors with high-capacity ones along the 136-kilometre stretch.