PM Dahal inaugurates Inaruwa substation

KATHMANDU, Dec 22: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the Inaruwa substation of Nepal Electricity Authority today. The Inaruwa substation is considered one of the important projects for strengthening the power transmission and distribution system.

Constructed at Bhokraha Narsingh Rural Municipality-4 of Sunsari district, the 400 kV substation is one of the largest substations constructed in the country.

The country's second largest substation based on the Gas Insulated System (GIS) was charged in the second week of October.

Minister for Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, former minister Gyanendra Bahadur Karki, high-officials of Energy Ministry, Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority, Kul Man Ghising, among others were present in the inauguration ceremony.

The next substation of 220/132/33 kV has already come into operation in Inaruwa. There are three power transformers of 315-MVA in 400/220 kV Inaruwa substation constructed under 400-kVHetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa substation expansion project. Around 4,000 MW of electricity will be transmitted from the Inaruwa substation after the completion of the 400 kV Inaruwa-Dhalkebar transmission line.

NEA Managing Director Ghising said the Inaruwa substation is the backbone for transmitting electricity produced from hydropower projects in different districts of Koshi Province, for consumption of power locally and to export surplus electricity to India.

Ghising said, "Electricity will be supplied locally in addition to the electricity flow from the substation to the national transmission grid. This will improve the voltage in that area thereby ensuring reliable supply of electricity."

Ghising further said that the Inaruwa-Purnia 400 kV cross-country transmission line has been proposed for power trade with India and the Inaruwa-Anarmani 400 kV transmission line has been proposed for trade among Nepal-India and Bangladesh from this sub-station.

The Inaruwa sub-station, according to him, has become another huge electricity center to supply electricity from east to west within the country and export to India besides regional power trade.

Moreover, the substation will be significant in supplying additional electricity to the industries within the Morang-Sunsari Industrial Corridor. The electricity generated from Arun and Tamor rivers and their tributaries will be linked to the Inaruwa substation through the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line.

It may be noted that there has been a proposal to construct the Arun 'Hub' Inaruwa 400 kV transmission line.

The NEA said that the Inaruwa substation has been built in such a way that it can be expanded in the future.

Various factors such as inundation, COVID-19 pandemic and prohibitory orders and lack of timely availability of tools and technicians among others had adversely affected the substation construction process.