Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Chilime-Trisuli Transmission Line construction starts

The construction of 220 kV Chilime-Trishuli Transmission Line project has been launched officially today.
"The construction of the Chilime-Transmission Line is an important pilot contribution to the national grid," ambassador of the EU to Nepal Rensje Teerink said during the formal launch programme of construction project – of 65-million euro project (equivalent to Rs 7.67 billion) spans 27 km – in Kathmandu today.
"It will bring light and energy to homes, households and school children across the country," she added.
"Accelerated development in Nepal needs to keep clean energy as a top priority," she said, adding, "With a real sense of urgency, collective efforts should transform enormous potential into tangible reality."
"The South Asian region as a whole would benefit from the supply of clean energy, if regional cooperation projects could be put in place to harness this potential," she added.
The project is a joint undertaking of the European Union (EU), German Development Cooperation/KfW, European Investment Bank (EIB) and the government.
Energy Minister Janardan Sharma, on the occasion, said that the construction of the state of the art 220 kV double circuit transmission line is an excellent example of a strong partnership and collective efforts of Nepal government, the German Development Cooperation/KfW, the EU and the European Investment Bank (EIB).
The 220 KV Chilime-Trishuli Transmission Line project will include the construction of the 220/132 kV Trishuli 3 B Hub Substation, the construction of the 220/132 kV-Chilime Substation and the construction of the Chilime-Trishuli 220 kV double circuit Transmission Line (27 Km).
The transmission line project will be complemented by the construction of the Samundratar-Trishuli 3B Hub Transmission Line and Substation, at a cost of 270 million euros to which the EIB will contribute 95 million euros.
"In a holistic approach, the project focuses both on power generation and transmission from the Trishuli river basin,” minister Sharma said, stressing on the importance of completing the project in a timely manner for the benefit of Nepali people.
According to the press statement issued by the Delegation of the EU to Nepal, deputy chief of Mission and head of Cooperation at the German Embassy Jacqueline Groth highlighted Germany’s continued commitment to the Nepal's energy sector. Apart from its contribution to the transmission line project, German Development Cooperation will also support the upgrading of the Load Dispatch Centre in Kathmandu.
The upgrading will result in increase of supply of electricity fed into the national grid. It will reduce transmission losses and increase the reliability of the grid. As a result, the framework conditions for economic activities in Nepal will be improved especially for the industrial sector and small and medium enterprises.