Nepal and India have agreed to construct three major cross-border transmission lines: the Chameliya–Jauljibi 220 kV double-circuit transmission line, the Nijgadh–Motihari 400 kV double-circuit line, and the Lamahi–Lucknow 400 kV line.

The agreement was reached during the 17th meeting of the Nepal-India Joint Secretary-level Joint Technical Team in Pokhara. The meeting also agreed to expand the capacity and operation of four other existing transmission lines.

Sandeep Kumar Dev, joint secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, and Bhagwan Sahay Bhairava, chief engineer at India’s Central Electricity Authority, co-chaired the meeting.

According to the energy ministry, Nepal and India have submitted their respective Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the Chameliya–Jauljibi 220 kV double-circuit transmission line. A joint technical team of both countries will finalise the DPR by the end of this month.

According to the Ministry of Energy, both countries have agreed to complete the transmission line project by December 2027.

For the Nijgadh–Motihari 400 kV double-circuit line, Nepal will provide the necessary technical details within a month, and a joint technical team from both countries will prepare the DPR together.

Similarly, a joint study will be conducted for the Lamahi–Lucknow 400 kV transmission line to determine whether the termination point on the Nepali side will be at Lamahi or Kohalpur. After that, the DPR will be prepared.

Likewise, arrangements will also be made to temporarily operate the new Butwal–Gorakhpur 400 kV transmission line at 220 kV. The statement said another meeting will be held within 15 days with the Uttar Pradesh Transmission Company to discuss the import and export capacity of electricity through this line.

The power exchange capacity through the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur and Dhalkebar–Sitamarhi lines has been re-evaluated. According to the assessment, Nepal can now export up to 1,500 megawatts of electricity and import up to 1,400 megawatts.

A study will also be conducted to prepare a DPR for reconductoring the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur 400 kV line using High-Temperature Low-Sag (HTLS) technology, which can withstand higher temperatures. Reconductoring refers to replacing old power line wires with new ones to boost transmission efficiency.

Similarly, both sides agreed to study replacing the existing conductors of the Raxaul 132 kv lines jointly–Parwanipur and Ramnagar–Gandak—with HTLS conductors to increase their transmission capacity.

Last week, Nepal and India signed a Joint Venture (JV) and Shareholder Agreement to construct the 400 kv cross-border transmission lines Inaruwa–Purnia and Lamki–Dododhara (Bareilly) in New Delhi.

Nepal has already signed an agreement to export 10,000 megawatts of electricity to India within 10 years. Construction of large transmission lines is now progressing rapidly to facilitate this power trade.