KATHMANDU, Dec. 31 (Xinhua)–India will supply an additional 80 megawatt of electricity from January 1, 2017 to Nepal, to minimize the energy crisis in the Himalayan nation, the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu said Friday.
The Indian government’s decision to provide additional electricity to energy-starved Nepal followed Nepalese Energy Minister Janardan Sharma’s visit to New Delhi.
During the visit, Sharma requested his Indian counterpart Piyush Goyal for an additional supply of 80 MW to alleviate power shortage in Nepal due to seasonal reduction in supply from domestic hydro projects in winter months.
“The additional 80 MW power transfer to Nepal is expected to commence from the first day of new year (1st January 2017). With this, the total supply of electricity to Nepal from India will be about 400 MW,” the Indian embassy stated in a press release.
In a swift response, within 20 days the Power Grid Corp installed an additional 220/132 kV, 100MVA transformer at Muzaffarpur substation in India.
This transformer will facilitate additional power supply up to 80 MW to Nepal through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar (Nepal) transmission line. With this augmentation, a total of 160 MW can now be supplied to Nepal through this transmission line, it added.
India and Nepal had inaugurated the first high capacity 400 kV cross-border line (initially being operated at 132 kV) from Muzaffarpur in India to Dhalkebar in Nepal during a state visit of the then Nepalese Prime Minister to New Delhi in February 2016. This had resulted in additional flow of 80 MW, enhancing the total power supply to Nepal to about 320 MW.
The Indian Embassy stated that India is also working with Nepal to supply power through two more radial 132 kV lines viz. Raxaul-Parwanipur and Kataiya-Kushaha.