Ilam, Oct. 3: The hydropower projects in the eastern hills have been shut due to the damage in three electricity poles along the Kabeli Corridor due to the floods after the rains that occurred last week. 

Electricity projects operating in Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung districts are closed after the electricity poles of the Kabeli Corridor collapsed due to the erosion of the Mai River in Mahamai of Ilam.

Meanwhile, the old 133 KV transmission line has been repaired to resume the electricity supply. However, Bijli Prasad Yadav, chief of Nepal Electricity Authority in Ilam, said that only the Puwakhola Hydroelectricity Project in Ilam is in operation.

Energy generation has been stopped in 16 power plants in Ilam, two in Panchthar and seven in Taplejung due to damage caused to the transmission poles of the Kabeli Corridor. About 250 MW of electricity was being produced in these three districts. The projects reported that due to the stoppage of electricity generation, they have been suffering losses of millions of rupees. 

An employee of a project said, “There is no such thing as a disaster, but the project has also suffered a huge financial loss from this disaster.”

Roshan Khadka, Chief of Duhabi Grid, said that tower number 50, 51, 52 and 53 under the Kabeli Corridor transmission line from Godak in Ilam to Damak in Jhapa were damaged by the floods in the Mai River. 

According to him, the floods have completely damaged tower number 51 and 52. Similarly, two other towers (number 50 and 53) have been partially damaged. 

The damage is serious. It is not possible to determine the time when it can be repaired to maintain the seamless electricity supply. “But we will start the construction work as soon as possible. We have to calculate how much financial damage has been caused by this,” said Khadka.  For the time being, the old 133 kV transmission line is used to deliver electricity to all districts.

Meanwhile, RSS writes the recent floods and landslides have taken huge toll on the production of electricity. At least 1,100-MW hydroelectricity has been thrown out of the systems with the obstruction to production and transmission. 

The transmission line and distribution systems of hydropower projects have turned complicated. The capacity of the stalled projects is estimated to be equivalent to 650 MW. Nepal Electricity Authority (NRA) said it would be difficult to meet the demand as most of the power stations were closed in the disaster-triggered emergency. 

According to preliminary reports of the Ministry of Energy, the incessant rain induced floods and landslides have damaged 36 projects having power generation capacity of 1,100 MW. The Kabeli Corridor projects, which meet the energy demand of eastern Nepal, have been damaged in the calamitous incidents of floods and landslides. Around 200 MW of electricity has been thrown out of the systems after damages caused to three towers of the transmission line. 

Similarly, a tower of Khimti Lamosanghu transmission line, which supplies electricity from the Tamakoshi Corridor to Kathmandu, has been washed away by the Tamakoshi River. Electricity worth 200 MW has gone out of the systems due to complications in the transmission line. 

Khimti-Dhalkebar has built a 220 KV tower. Similarly, the tower of Bardaghat-Sardi 132 KV double-circuit transmission line collapsed due to incessant rain. 

According to the NEA, the tower of the transmission line was collapsed with the collapse of the road at Bardaghat Municipality-5, Khursani Khola in Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta West) along the East-West Highway. 

The power supply of Hongshi Shivam Cement, which is operating at Sardi in Binayi Triveni Rural Municipality of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) in partnership with Chinese and Nepali investors, has been closed since Monday evening after the tower collapsed.