KATHMANDU: The construction of the 400 kV Lapsiphedi substation is underway in Shankharapur Municipality-3, Kathmandu, with the goal of completing it within the coming month.
The substation, built using Gas Insulated Substation (GIS) technology, aims to transmit electricity from the Tamakoshi and Sunkoshi rivers to the Kathmandu Valley for local distribution.
The project includes the construction of 400/220, 220/132, and 132/11 kV substations under the Khimti-Bahrabise-Lapsifedi and Tamakoshi-Kathmandu Transmission Line Projects.
As of now, 40% of the civil structures, including the control room and GIS equipment building for the 400/220 kV Lapsiphedi substation, have been completed. Around 80% of the equipment supply, including power transformers, GIS, and control panels, has also been completed.
The civil structures for the 220/132 and 132/11 kV substations under the Tamakoshi-Kathmandu project are 50% complete, with 98% of the equipment supplied. Once the civil structures are completed, equipment installation will commence.
The 220/400 kV transmission line will connect the new Khimti substation in Ramechhap to Lapsiphedi via Barhabise in Sindhupalchowk. All towers in the Khimti-Barhabise section have been erected, and only about three kilometers of wires are left to be laid. In the Barhabise-Lapsiphedi section, only two out of 122 towers remain to be completed, both located in the Lapsiphedi area.
Despite significant progress, the project faces local protests linked to the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) project, with demands to relocate the substation away from local land authorities and human settlements.
The Tamakoshi-Kathmandu Transmission Line Project and Lapsifedi substation are being developed with investment from the Government of Nepal and the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), along with a concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under the Electricity Transmission Expansion and System Improvement Project.
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