A lightning strike damaged a key transmission tower in Dolakha on Wednesday, cutting off 89 megawatts of electricity from five hydropower plants to the national grid.

The strike, accompanied by strong winds, hit tower number 32 of the 132 kV Singati–Bahrabise transmission line in ward 7 of Kalinchok Rural Municipality, snapping wires and disrupting supply to the national grid, said Manoj Sah, chief of the Khimti Grid Branch of the Nepal Electricity Authority.

The affected projects are built by private companies. The line channels power from Dolakha’s northern hydropower plants through the Singati substation to Bahrabise before feeding into the national grid.

Sah said a repair team has already been dispatched to assess the damage and carry out emergency work. “We are making efforts to bring the damaged tower into operation through temporary measures, and if possible, restore supply by Thursday evening,” he said.

The transmission line is currently operating on a single circuit. Authorities plan to upgrade it to a double circuit after the Dashain festival to improve reliability, Sah added.

The lightning strike also damaged transformers in other parts of Dolakha, cutting power to some local areas. Replacement work is underway, but services have not yet fully resumed, according to the NEA’s Dolakha office.