Underground Power Cables to Be Installed in Chitwan National Park for 25-Megawatt Transmission in Madi

Electrical cable undergrounding work is underway over an eight-kilometer stretch in Chitwan National Park, at a cost of NPR 178.6 million. Jitendra Kumar Jhalle, Chief of Nepal Electricity Authority, stated that due to issues with the old 8-megawatt cable, a new cable with a 25-megawatt capacity will be installed. The contract was signed on April 20, and the office has indicated that work will accelerate following the rainy season.

The undergrounding project began after the Bagmati Province Division Office of Nepal Electricity Authority issued a tender and finalized the contract. The Sharada and Summni Visaan JV is carrying out the work, aiming to enhance transmission capacity to 25 megawatts at a total cost of approximately NPR 178.6 million. The Division Office noted that since problems have arisen with the current underground electrification, preparations are underway to implement new underground electrification.

According to Jhalle, the original underground cable had an 8-megawatt capacity and recurrent faults prompted plans for a new cable installation. He explained, “This project involves installing a new underground cable route, not using the old cable path.” He added that frequent electrical supply disruptions made diagnosing problems time-consuming, hence the decision to install new underground electrification. The contractor has completed mapping the cable route and is in the process of procuring a 25-megawatt capacity cable following the contract agreement.

At Madi, the Nepal Electricity Authority’s Chanouli Distribution Center has been providing electrical transmission. Rudraraj Bista, chief of the center, reported that there are approximately 11,700 customers, primarily residential households and irrigation users. The Madi Municipality is surrounded by forest on all sides and a majority falls within Chitwan National Park. Residents of Madi must use roads through the park to travel to the district headquarters in Bharatpur. After the contract signing on April 20, the work is expected to be completed within nine months.