Energy Minister Directs Swift Repair and Investigation of Collapsed Power Towers

Kathmandu. Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Minister Birajbhakta Shrestha has directed the concerned bodies to intensify repair and investigation work following the incident where two 132 kV capacity towers in the Chisapani area of Banke, part of the Kohalpur-Surkhet 132 kV electricity transmission line, collapsed, affecting the electricity supply to Karnali Province.

Minister Shrestha's secretariat is coordinating with the relevant offices to facilitate the reconstruction of the towers and restore electricity supply. Two towers were completely damaged when a tree fell during a storm.

Following the incident, the authority has also formed an investigation committee under the convenorship of Grid Operation Chief Raman Raj Sharma. According to the authority, RS Infra Company was responsible for the construction of the damaged towers.

The current damage requires the tower foundation to be rebuilt, and it is estimated that the repair and restoration work will take approximately three weeks to complete.

With the disruption of the 132 kV line, limited electricity supply has been initiated through the old 33 kV transmission line as an alternative to restore electricity supply to Karnali Province. However, it is reported that the electricity service is being affected due to the low capacity of this line.

The Kohalpur-Surkhet 132 kV transmission line is an infrastructure project constructed with the aim of solving the long-term electricity problem of Karnali Province.