132 kV Burtibang substation comes into operation after year-long delay

February 18, 2026, 03:09:09 PM |

KATHMANDU: The 132 kV substation in Burtibang of Baglung district has formally entered regular operation from Tuesday, strengthening electricity transmission capacity in western hill districts.

The substation was completed on Falgun 2 (mid-February) and underwent testing on Falgun 3 and 4 before being brought into full operation, according to project officials.

The project had originally been scheduled to come online a year earlier. However, construction delays occurred after residents in Badigad Rural Municipality obstructed tower installation and transmission line expansion works. Local opposition escalated to a legal dispute, with a writ petition filed at the Supreme Court of Nepal, halting progress for roughly eighteen months.

Project Chief Manoj Chaudhary said the work accelerated only after the court dismissed the petition last year, allowing construction to resume at full pace. He added that repeated disruptions across different sites prevented the project from meeting its original commissioning deadline.

The transmission project was launched to connect remote hill districts to the national grid. The 132 kV line stretches from Motipur in Kapilvastu through Sandhikharka, Tamghas and Paudi-Amarai before reaching Burtibang. The substation itself has been constructed at Khaltubot in Dhorpatan Municipality-2.

Officials confirmed the transmission corridor spans about 86 kilometers from Kapilvastu to Burtibang and has been built with a double-circuit line to enhance reliability and load capacity.

The total project cost stands at approximately Rs 4.79 billion. Authorities expect the new infrastructure to improve voltage stability, reduce outages, and enable further electrification and economic activity in the western hill belt.

Fiscal Nepal |

Wednesday February 18, 2026, 03:09:09 PM |