March 11: A feasibility study of the proposed Nepal-China Ratmate-Rasuwagadhi-Kerung interstate transmission line has been completed in the Nepal section. A team from the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) had studied the feasibility of the transmission line to be built in the Nepal section. The team has studied and submitted its report to the NEA.

Chief of Nepal-China Interstate Transmission Line Project Komal Nath Atreya confirmed that the feasibility study of the project has been completed. The study also showed that it is possible to build a Nepal-China interstate transmission line.

“The study has shown the possibility of a transmission line. The work of Environmental Impact Assessment and Detailed Project Report (DPR) is now underway,” he said. The Environmental Impact Assessment will start from the first week of April, and the NEA will make the DPR jointly with China. 

He said that the work of environmental impact assessment will be completed within seven months. For the DPR, an agreement between China and Nepal will be signed this month (March).

The transmission line of the Nepal section will be of a 400 kV circuit, it will have 207 towers, which will cost Rs 10 billion to build, said Atreya. He said that the length of the transmission line in Nepal will be of 70 kilometers. The total length of the transmission line will be 149 kilometers. On the Chinese side, the length of the transmission line will be 79 kilometers. After the operation, the transmission line will import and export 3,000 MW of electricity between Nepal and China.

The study suggests that the transmission line of the Nepal section can be made through two different routes. It has been stated that a transmission line can be constructed from Ratmate to Kerung through Chileme Hub. Similarly, the study has also suggested that a transmission line can be constructed from Ratmate to Kerung via Langtang National Park.

The construction of the transmission line from Chilime Hub will cost more. However, technically, it seems to be appropriate to build a transmission line from this route. However, the construction of a transmission line passing through a national park, even if it is easy, is not suitable. Therefore, there is a plan to build a transmission line from the route of Chilime Hub, said Atreya.

China is also working to build transmission lines in some parts of its territory. Convert station will be built in Kerung (towards China). It will then be connected to a substation in Jirong County, China, within 79 kilometers of Kerung trade point.

The transmission line will be connected to the substation to be built under the MCC project in Ratmate. The proposed substation at Ratmate will be connected to all the transmission systems of Nepal. It will also have connections to the international transmission line to India. In such case, Nepal can become a transit point for trilateral electricity trade between Nepal, India, and China, the study shows.