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Doubling Transmission Capacity of Existing Grid Through Reconductoring: Report


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					</table><p>Nepal Electricity Authority (<a href="https://www.nea.org.np/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NEA</a>) has invited bids to develop 100 MW solar projects in Nepal.</p>
<p>The last day to submit the bids is February 26, 2023. The bids will be opened on the same day.</p>
<p>NEA has set a benchmark tariff of NPR5.94 (~$0.028)/kWh. The power produced from the projects will be purchased by NEA.</p>
<p>The cost of the bidding document is set at NPR10,000 (~$75). Bidders must submit a bid security amount of NPR400,000 (~$3,019)/ MW.</p>
<p>Selected bidders are required to furnish a performance security amount of NPR600,000 (~$4,529) /MW within 28 days of the issuance of the work order.</p>
<p>The projects must be commissioned within 18 months of signing the power purchase agreement (PPA).</p>
<p>The developer will be eligible to declare partial commissioning if it can commission at least 50% of the PPA capacity.</p>
<p>Further, the eligible bidders should have experience in developing and commissioning grid-connected solar power projects of at least 1 MW capacity or 5 MW grid-connected power projects other than solar projects.</p>
<p>They should have a survey license for generation or a generation license issued by the Department of Electricity Development to develop solar power projects in Nepal.</p>
<p>Bidders must also have evidence of the availability of land equivalent to at least 0.25 hectares per MW for project development.</p>
<p>Bidders are required to deploy commercially established technology wherein at least one grid-connected project successfully operational the proposed technology for at least one year. They must use either crystalline silicon modules or thin-film modules.</p>
<p>Bidders can bid at least 1 MW at a delivery point.</p>
<p>The developer must lay 11 kV or above the transmission line from the project&#8217;s Substation to NEA&#8217;s substation. The land necessary for the project&#8217;s development will be the developer&#8217;s sole responsibility</p>
<p>The developer must make arrangements to evacuate energy generated to the NEA substations through dedicated transmission lines connected to the respective substations&#8217; high voltage or low voltage side (&gt;=11 kV). The developer should also arrange the land for the line&#8217;s right of way.</p>
<p>In case any extra land is required for equipment installation, or any other associated works related to the solar project at NEA&#8217;s substation, the developer must make the necessary arrangement to obtain the extra land.</p>
<p>Earlier, India had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/bidders-neighboring-countries-restrictions/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">imposed</a> restrictions on bidders from countries that share a land border with India. The amendments have been made keeping in mind the national security of the country. Nepal is one of the seven neighboring countries which shares land borders with India.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Arjun Joshi</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Arjun Joshi,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Arjun-Joshi-1.png" width="86" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Arjun Joshi</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, he worked as a technical writer for enterprise resource software companies based in India and abroad. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism, Psychology, and Optional English from Garden City University, Bangalore. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/arjun-joshi" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Arjun Joshi.</a></p>
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Nepal Invites Bids to Procure 100 MW of Solar Power


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					</table><p>Global Off-Grid Lighting Association (<a href="https://www.gogla.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">GOGLA</a>) has invited bids from consultants to study the solar lantern and solar home system market in India.</p>
<p>The consultants will have to study the Bangladesh and Nepal distributed renewable energy sector with limited scope.</p>
<p>As per the bi-annual GOGLA market sales reports, despite seeing a decline in the sales of quality-verified products since 2019, India remains one of the largest markets for solar lanterns and solar home systems.</p>
<p>While sales in India have declined from 953,000 between January and June 2019 to a low of 329,000 units between January and June 2021, recent reports indicate an uptick to 457,000 between July and December 2021.</p>
<p style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GOGLA-1.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="alignnone wp-image-40384 size-full" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GOGLA-1.png" alt="GOGLA 1" width="428" height="301" srcset="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GOGLA-1.png 428w, https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/GOGLA-1-300x211.png 300w" sizes="(max-width: 428px) 100vw, 428px" /></a></p>
<p style="text-align: center;">Source: GOGLA</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is September 9, 2022. The final presentation of the study should be done within 18 weeks.</p>
<p>The research will help inform GOGLA and its members on the current market status, future market needs, and outlook.</p>
<p>The study aims to analyze the reasons for the decline in demand for solar home systems and lanterns in India. It will also elaborate on the current and future role, uses, and applications of solar lanterns and solar home systems in India in line with increased energy access and changing needs regarding product profiles.</p>
<p>It will also help the association to understand the current status of the distributed renewable energy markets in Bangladesh and Nepal in terms of the state of the solar lanterns and solar home systems markets (pre-installed and future demand) and appliances trends, policy, and private sector participation.</p>
<p>The successful consultant firm should have a track record of carrying out research projects similar in scope and complexity. It should have experience developing and implementing research designs for and with the private sector and understanding the off-grid lighting and electrification sector, particularly in India. The firm should have experience drafting high-quality written reports in English.</p>
<p>GOGLA has earmarked $30,000, including taxes and all other expenses for the project. The technical proposal should detail the suggested approach and work plan to carry out the project and include the CVs of key research team staff.</p>
<p>Last November, GOGLA had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-off-grid-solar-gogla-2/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that close to 3.5 million off-grid solar lighting products were sold globally in the first half (1H) of 2021, a 4% decrease in sales compared to the second half of 2020. Global sales of lighting products and appliances were 22% and 9% lower than in the second half of 2019.</p>
<p>Subscribe to Mercom&#8217;s <a href="https://mercomindia.com/product/india-solar-tender-tracker/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">India Solar Tender Tracker</a> to stay on top of tender activity in real-time.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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GOGLA Seeks Consultants to Study Solar Lantern and Solar Home System Market in India

<p>The Central Electronics Limited (<a href="http://www.celindia.co.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">CEL</a>), a public sector enterprise, has invited bids for consultancy services for 200-300 MW (in clusters) of grid-connected solar power projects.</p>
<p>The projects would be developed under the Renewable Energy Service Company (RESCO) model in the far western province number 7 in Nepal. The RESCO model is a system where the developer owns the solar project, and the consumer only has to pay for the energy generated.</p>
<p>The CEL is a government enterprise under the administrative control of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, Ministry of Science &amp; Technology.</p>
<p>As per the tender document, the maximum capacity at one site should not exceed 50 MW. All the solar projects should be ground-mounted and connected to the grid. The time for completing the project has been set as 12 months from the start of the site survey.</p>
<p>The last date to submit the bids is December 11, 2020, and the opening of bids will also take place on December 11, 2020. Interested bidders will have to submit an amount of ₹100,000 as the earnest money deposit (EMD).</p>
<p>To participate in the bidding process, the bidder should have at least three years of experience in consultancy services for renewable energy power projects with its registered office in India. The bidder should have experience providing consultancy services for at least two solar power projects in the last five years, similar to the work given in the tender document.</p>
<p>Regarding the financial criteria, the bidders&#8217; average annual turnover should at least ₹750 million ($10.15 million) in the last three financial years.</p>
<p>According to Mercom&#8217;s India Solar Tender Tracker, CEL has so far tendered 303.09 MW of solar power projects.</p>
<p>In October this year, CEL <a href="https://mercomindia.com/cel-bids-for-1-5-million-multicrystalline-cells/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">invited</a> bids for the supply of 1.5 million multicrystalline passivated emitter and rear contact (PERC) solar cells.</p>
<p>Previously, Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/cel-floats-tender-solar-maharashtra/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that CEL had issued a tender for 50 MW of grid-tied solar PV projects ranging from 500 kW to 10 MW at various locations in Maharashtra. The scope of work included the design, engineering, supply, construction, erection, testing, installation, and commissioning, along with ten years of operations and maintenance.</p>
<p>Image credit: American Public Power Association</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Rakesh Ranjan</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Rakesh Ranjan,</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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<p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Rakesh-Headshot-crop-2.jpg" width="77" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Rakesh Ranjan</strong></a> is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Prior to joining Mercom, he worked in many roles as a business correspondent, assistant editor, senior content writer, and sub-editor with bcfocus.com, CIOReview/Silicon India, Verbinden Communication, and Bangalore Bias. Rakesh holds a Bachelor’s degree in English from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU). <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/rakesh-ranjan-parashar/" rel="noopener noreferrer">More articles from Rakesh Ranjan.</a></p>
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CEL Seeks Consultants for 200-300 MW of Solar Projects in Nepal

<p>Here are some noteworthy cleantech announcements of the day from around the world:</p>
<p><strong>The Indian Renewable Energy Development Agency (IREDA) has </strong><a href="https://pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetail.aspx?PRID=1669546" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>signed</strong></a><strong> a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy for setting key targets for 2020-21.</strong> For IREDA, the Government of India has set a revenue target of ₹24.06 billion (~$ 323. 39 million) for 2020-21. IREDA has financed over 2,700 renewable energy projects in India, totaling more than 17 GW with cumulative loan disbursement of ₹570 billion (~$7.66 billion) as of November 2, 2020.</p>
<p><strong>ANDRITZ has </strong><a href="https://www.andritz.com/newsroom-en/hydro/2020-11-02-karuwa-seti-hydro" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>received</strong></a><strong> an order from KC Group Nepal to supply turbine, generators, and auxiliaries for the new Karuwa Seti hydropower project.</strong> The hydropower project with a total capacity of 32 MW is located on the Seti Khola river in the Gandaki Zone’s Kaski district in Nepal. The contract includes design, engineering, manufacture, supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of three 10.66 MW Francis turbine and generator as well as auxiliaries for electrical and mechanical equipment.</p>
<p><strong>Dominion Energy Virginia has </strong><a href="https://news.dominionenergy.com/2020-11-02-Dominion-Energy-Proposes-Largest-Slate-of-New-Solar-Facilities-for-Virginia-Customers" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>proposed</strong></a><strong> its largest slate of new solar projects as the company advances to provide more clean energy for consumers in Virginia, United States. </strong>The nine solar projects with a total capacity of nearly 500 MW will generate enough clean energy to satisfy around 125,000 households&#8217; electricity needs. Six of the nine new solar projects with a total capacity of 416 MW are power purchase agreements selected following a competitive solicitation process.</p>
<p><strong>Sungrow, a global inverter solution supplier for renewables, </strong><a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sungrow-crosses-1-gw-of-pv-inverter-shipment-in-chile-301161436.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>said</strong></a><strong> that the company has crossed over 1 GW of photovoltaic inverter shipments to Chile. </strong>Earlier this year, the company also crossed over 1 GW of inverter shipment in Brazil. Besides that, the company <a href="https://en.sungrowpower.com/newsDetail/2002" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">bagged</a> a contract from Bouygues Energies &amp; Services to supply inverter solutions for two solar projects in the United Kingdom. The company will provide 23 units of its turnkey central inverters for solar projects. Once operational, both projects with a total capacity of 115 MW will provide energy for 22,000 homes.</p>
<p><strong>ACWA Power </strong><a href="http://www.acwapower.com/news/south-africas-bokpoort-csp-plant-breaks-african-record-for-around-the-clock-operation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"><strong>said</strong></a><strong> that South Africa’s Bokpoort Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) facility has become the first renewable facility on the continent to complete a full week of continuous round the clock operation.</strong> The facility set the new African continental benchmark achieving 13 days (312 hours) of continuous operation on October 23, 2020. The accomplishment was achieved by managing 9.3 hours of thermal salt storage system overnight.</p>
<p>Here is our <a href="https://mercomindia.com/daily-news-wrap-up-germany/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">previous</a> daily news wrap-up.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Harsh Shukla</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/Harsh-Shukla-293x300-1-new.jpg" width="99" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><strong style="color: #00b451">Harsh Shukla</strong> </a>is a staff reporter at Mercom India. Previously with Indian Express, he has covered general interest stories. He holds a Masters Degree in Journalism from Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune.</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/harsh-shukla/">More articles from Harsh Shukla.</a></p>
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Daily News Wrap-Up: Lender for Renewables, IREDA Gets Revenue Target of ₹24.06 Billion

<p>The International Finance Corporation (<a href="https://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/corp_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/home" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">IFC</a>), the financial arm of the World Bank Group, has announced that it will provide a loan of $25 million to <a href="https://nmbbanknepal.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">NMB Bank</a>, one of Nepal&#8217;s premier banks, to boost green financing projects and small and medium enterprises (SMEs).</p>
<p>According to a press statement released by the IFC, the investment is expected to help expand the SME portfolio to over $1 billion by 2025 and create nearly 50,000 jobs over the next five years. SMEs have been a key engine of growth in Nepal, contributing 20% of gross domestic product (GDP) and creating over 60% of jobs in the country, said the statement. The loan marks IFC&#8217;s first climate-focused lending to a financial institution in Nepal, incorporating the internationally recognized green loan principles.</p>
<p>The project will also build up NMB Bank&#8217;s capacity to identify and evaluate green lending opportunities and increase access to green financing in Nepal over the next five years.</p>
<p>Sunil KC, the chief executive officer, NMB Bank, said, &#8220;NMB is focused on the financing of sustainable projects in the real sector in alignment with the Government of Nepal&#8217;s growth plans. Our investments comprise a balanced mix of real sector exposures which includes hydropower, agriculture, microfinance, infrastructure, tourism, SMEs, and green projects that are key drivers of economic growth and sustainability.&#8221;</p>
<p>He added that the new investment from IFC would add considerable value and help the bank to increase its current portfolio and widen the scope for investment in sustainable and green projects.</p>
<p>Climate finance is limited in Nepal, which is expected to face a further setback due to the reduction in the flow of credit in the wake of the impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.</p>
<p>Wendy Werner, IFC country manager for Nepal, Bangladesh, and Bhutan, said, &#8220;This investment is supporting SMEs and Nepal&#8217;s sustainable development during this economic downtown. IFC believes in the tremendous opportunity for green growth through mobilizing the private sector.&#8221;</p>
<p>She added that the project would help boost access to finance for small and medium-sized enterprises that have been severely affected by the pandemic.</p>
<p>&#8220;SMEs will contribute to Nepal&#8217;s recovery in the aftermath of the pandemic,&#8221; Werner affirmed.</p>
<p>Based on Nepal&#8217;s commitment to the Paris Climate Agreement, IFC estimates the country has climate-smart investment opportunities of $46 billion by 2030. Further, it also said that since 1956, IFC had invested over $150 million in Nepal&#8217;s priority sectors.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, for India, the IFC recently <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ifc-lend-mahindra-renewables-solar-project-rajasthan/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced its plan</a> to lend $36 million (~₹2.57 billion) for a 250 MW solar project by Mahindra Renewables Private Limited in Rajasthan.</p>
<p>Earlier, IFC and <a href="https://investorfunds.us.hsbc.com/default.fs" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">HSBC Global Asset Management</a> announced <a href="https://mercomindia.com/hsbc-ifc-emerging-green-bond-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raising</a> $474 million (~₹36 billion) in the third closing of the HSBC Real Economy Green Investment Opportunity GEM Bond Fund. In June 2019, the two entities had <a href="https://mercomindia.com/ifc-hsbc-establish-green-bond-fund/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">announced</a> the first global green bond fund aimed at real economy issuers in developing markets, to help in improving accessibility to climate finance and enhance green bond markets. The Real Economy Green Investment Opportunity GEM Bond Fund was expected to raise between $500 million to $700 million through multiple sources to promote climate centric investments in emerging economies like India and Nepal.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/anjana/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Anjana Parikh</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Anjana2.png" width="112" height="121" />Anjana is a news editor at Mercom India. Before joining Mercom, she held roles of senior editor, district correspondent, and sub-editor for The Times of India, Biospectrum and The Sunday Guardian. Before that, she worked at the Deccan Herald and the Asianlite as chief sub-editor and news editor. She has also contributed to The Quint, Hindustan Times, The New Indian Express, Reader’s Digest (UK edition), IndiaSe (Singapore-based magazine) and Asiaville. Anjana holds a Master’s degree in Geography from North Bengal University, and a diploma in mass communication and journalism from Guru Ghasidas University, Bhopal.</p>
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IFC to Provide $25 Million Loan to Facilitate Green Financing in Nepal

<p>Nepal’s Minister of Energy recently inaugurated the ceremony to formally mark the initiation of construction of the Chilime-Trishuli transmission system in central Nepal. This project is expected to allow access to energy to 7,200 households in Nepal. The energy generated from hydropower plants and independent power producers on the Trishuli River corridor will be connected to Nepal’s national electricity grid through this project.</p>
<p>The 27-kilometre long transmission line will be built through difficult mountainous terrain 50 kilometres west of Kathmandu by the Nepal Electricity Authority. Financing for the project is being provided  by the <a href="http://www.eib.org/en/index.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Investment Bank</a>, the <a href="https://europa.eu/european-union/index_en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">European Union</a> through the Asian Investment Facility, German Development Bank <a href="https://www.kfw.de/KfW-Group/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">KfW</a> and Government of Nepal.</p>
<p>Following is a breakdown of the financing:</p>
<p><a href="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal.png"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-11926" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal.png" alt="Nepal Begins Construction of its Landmark Power Transmission Line with Aid from EU" width="625" height="183" srcset="https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal.png 625w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal-600x176.png 600w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal-300x88.png 300w, https://cms.mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/nepal-624x183.png 624w" sizes="(max-width: 625px) 100vw, 625px" /></a></p>
<p>“Once complete the new Chilime-Trishuli Transmission link allows thousands of people living in communities in the Trishuli River Basin and beyond to benefit from clean hydropower energy and a more reliable power supply. This crucial energy project is key for sustainable development in Nepal and demonstrates the close partnership between Nepal and European partners.” said Barshaman Pun, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation of Nepal, speaking at the ceremony.</p>
<p>Only about 72 percent of Nepal’s rural population have access to energy, the distribution scheme under the transmission system will aim to enable households in remote rural communities to benefit from first time access to electricity and reduce the need for expensive generators and cooking fuels.</p>
<p>In September, 2018 Mercom <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-nepal-electricity-trade-commissioning-220kv-substation/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> on the <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Bank</a>-supported Nepal-India Electricity Transmission and Trade Project being boosted by the commissioning of the Dhalkebar substation, the first 220 kV substation in Nepal which works as first interconnection between Nepal and India operating at this voltage level.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/shaurya-bajaj/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">shaurya</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><span style="font-family: Calibri"><span style="color: #000000"><span>Shaurya is a staff reporter at MercomIndia.com with experience working in the Indian solar energy industry for the past four years in various roles. Prior to joining Mercom, Shaurya worked with a renewable energy developer and a consulting company. Shaurya holds a Bachelors Degree in Business Management from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom. </span></span></span></p>
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Nepal Begins Construction of its Landmark Power Transmission Line with Aid from EU

<p>India and Nepal have strengthened their electricity trade with the commissioning of the high-voltage Dhalkebar substation in southern Nepal.</p>
<p>This is part of a <a href="http://www.worldbank.org/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">World Bank</a>-supported Nepal-India Electricity Transmission and Trade Project. It aims to establish a high voltage cross-border transmission link between India and Nepal of about 1,000 MW to facilitate electricity trade between the two neighbors.</p>
<p>The Dhalkebar substation is the first 220 kV substation in Nepal which works as first interconnection between Nepal and India operating at this voltage level. It is the main hub to receive electricity from India and transmit it to load centers throughout the country.</p>
<p>In case excess electricity is available in Nepal&#8217;s power system, electricity generated from various hydropower plants will flow to this substation via the Hetauda–Dhalkebar–Inaruwa transmission line currently under construction.</p>
<p>&#8220;Increasing access to reliable electricity in a timely and cost-effective manner is one of the most significant development challenges facing Nepal today. The operation of the transmission line signals a more robust domestic transmission and opens up immense possibilities of cross-border trade and electricity interchange,&#8221; said Faris Hadad-Zervos, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal.</p>
<p>Nepal has been able to upgrade its network capacity from 132 kV to the 220-kV voltage level with the commissioning of the Dhalkebar substation. The process to upgrade it to 400 kV is underway.</p>
<p>Rabin Shrestha, World Bank Task Team Leader for the Project said, “As the first interconnection between Nepal and India operating at 220 kV voltage level, it will be a challenging task to ensure power system stability and synchronization with India&#8217;s electric power system. However, the experience of operating this substation will enable the Nepal Electricity Authority to identify and rectify constraints in systems operation and gradually upgrade other concomitant substations to 220 kV as well.”</p>
<p>India has gradually strengthened its position as an electricity exporting nation and exporting power to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/india-strengthens-position-electricity-exporter/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Recently,</a> replying to a question in Lok Sabha, the minister for Power, R.K. Singh, stated, “India is currently supplying around 660 MW power to Bangladesh and it would increase by 840 MW after the completion of additional transmission links.”</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/nitin/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Nitin Kabeer</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><p><img class="alignleft wp-image-9822" src="https://mercomindia.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/nitin-2.png" alt="" width="99" height="105" /><span style="font-family: Calibri"><span style="color: #000000"><span>Nitin is a staff reporter at Mercomindia.com and writes on renewable energy and related sectors. Prior to Mercom, Nitin has worked for CNN IBN, India News, Agricultural Spectrum and Bureaucracy Today. He received his bachelor’s degree in Journalism &amp; Communication from Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University and Master’s degree in International Relations from Jindal School of International Affairs. <a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/nitin/">More articles from Nitin Kabeer</a></span></span></span></p>
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India-Nepal Electricity Trade to Grow with the Commissioning of 220 kV Dhalkebar Substation

<p>India has gradually strengthened its position as an electricity exporting nation. India is now exporting power to Bangladesh, Nepal, and Myanmar.</p>
<p>Replying to a question in Lok Sabha, the minister for Power, R.K. Singh, stated, “India is currently supplying around 660 MW power to Bangladesh and it would increase by 840 MW after completion of additional transmission links.”</p>
<p>Singh also added, “India is currently supplying around 490 MW power to Nepal and it would further increase by 300 – 400 MW with the operation of 132 kV D/c Dhalkebar – Muzzafarpur line at 400 kV. India is also supplying about 2 – 3 MW of power from Manipur to Myanmar through 11 kV transmission line from Moreh in Manipur to Tomu town in Myanmar.”</p>
<p>“As of June 30, 2018, the installed generation capacity of India is about 344 GW which is more than sufficient to meet the peak demand of around 170 GW occurred during the current year 2018-19 (up to June 2018). As the installed capacity of power plants in the country is more than the demand, there are possibilities of exporting power to neighboring countries,” he further said.</p>
<p>This reversal of position from a net importer of electricity to a net exporter has taken place in the last two years.</p>
<p>Per <a href="http://www.cea.nic.in/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Central Electricity Authority</a>, the first time India turned around from a net importer of electricity to net exporter of electricity was in the financial year (FY) 2016-17 (April to February 2017). India exported around 5,798 million units (MUs) to Nepal, Bangladesh, and Myanmar which was 213 MUs more than the import of around 5,585 MUs from Bhutan.</p>
<p>In March 2017, India was exporting around 190 MW power to Nepal, and this has increased to 490 MW now. During the same time, India was exporting around 600 MW power to Bangladesh, which has now increased to 660 MW.</p>
<p>Solar has been one of the <a href="https://mercomindia.com/share-solar-7-percent-total-power-capacity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">largest contributors to new power capacity addition</a> in India. This cross-border trade in power can be a huge opportunity for Indian solar developers and implementing agencies. There will be no dearth of off-takers for cheap solar power if the current <a href="https://mercomindia.com/seci-3-gw-solar-ists-auction-results/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">solar tariffs</a> in India are to go by.</p>
<p>These countries do not have the resources to fund massive power projects, but they are all developing countries with budding economies. All developing economies have an increasing demand of power, and India can utilize that demand to fuel its own power sector.</p>
<div class="saboxplugin-wrap" itemtype="http://schema.org/Person" itemscope itemprop="author"><div class="saboxplugin-tab"><div class="saboxplugin-gravatar"></div><div class="saboxplugin-authorname"><a href="https://cms.mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" class="vcard author" rel="author"><span class="fn">Saumy Prateek</span></a></div><div class="saboxplugin-desc"><div itemprop="description"><div class="designboxt">
<p><img class="alignleft" style="border-radius: 50%;height: 50px;margin-top: -4px;border: 1px solid #00b451" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/saumy-edited-1.png" width="50" /></p>
<p><strong style="text-decoration: underline">Saumy Prateek</strong> Staff reporter at Mercom India<br />
<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">More articles from Saumy Prateek</a></p>
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<div class="authorboxn"><img class="alignleft" src="https://mercomindia.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/saumy-edited-1.png" width="79" height="102" /><a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/" rel="noopener"><strong>Saumy Prateek, </strong> </a>is a senior staff reporter with MercomIndia.com covering business and energy news since 2016. Prior to Mercom, Saumy was a copy editor at Thomson Reuters. Saumy earned his Bachelors Degree in Journalism &amp; Mass Communication from the Manipal Institute of Communication at Manipal University.<a href="https://mercomindia.com/author/saumy/">More articles from Saumy Prateek.</a></div>
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