NEA Races to Restore Power in Myagdi and Mustang After Floods Destroy Transmission Towers
Repair work is underway on alternative transmission lines to restore electricity to flood-hit areas of Myagdi and Mustang after the Kali Gandaki River knocked down four towers of the 220 kV Dana–Khurkot line. Six hydropower projects with a combined capacity of 176 MW have been forced to halt generation, suffering losses in the tens of millions of rupees.
Repair work has begun on transmission lines to restore electricity supply to flood- and landslide-affected areas of Myagdi's Annapurna Rural Municipality and Mustang.
Following heavy rainfall from September 24 to 27, flooding in the Kali Gandaki River knocked down four towers of the 220 kV Dana–Khurkot transmission line at Pokharebagar, Dhirchyang and Bhirkot in Annapurna Rural Municipality. The collapse of the towers severed the transmission line, disrupting electricity supply to Mustang and parts of Annapurna Rural Municipality.
The transmission disruption has also affected six hydropower projects with a combined installed capacity of 176 MW in Myagdi and Mustang. As the projects have been unable to transmit their generated electricity to the national grid, they have suffered losses running into tens of millions of rupees.
The prolonged power disruption has also affected communication services and the daily lives of residents in the affected areas.
Hemraj Chapagain, Chief of the Nepal Electricity Authority's (NEA) Tatopani Distribution Center, which serves Wards 2, 3, 4 and 5 of Annapurna Rural Municipality as well as Mustang district, said electricity could not be restored immediately through the Dana Substation due to the damage to the main transmission line.
The NEA has therefore started repairing an alternative 33 kV transmission line from Milanchowk through Dana to Kowang in Mustang.
"Since immediate power supply from the Dana Substation is not possible, we have started repairing the 33 kV transmission line from Milanchowk via Dana to Kowang in Mustang," Chapagain said. "The line has also suffered extensive damage in several sections of Myagdi, so NEA employees and workers hired through contractors have been mobilized for the repair work."
Chapagain, who recently returned from an on-site inspection of the transmission and distribution lines in Mustang, said the transmission and distribution networks in Mustang itself had not sustained significant damage.
According to the distribution center, repair work has already been completed on the section from Tatopani to Pokharebagar, the administrative center of Annapurna Rural Municipality. The work included reinstalling fallen poles and removing damaged or sagging wires before stringing new lines.
Key damage points include:
- One transmission pole has fallen in Ghara
- Four poles have been damaged along the section connecting Rakhu and Begkhola
- The most significant damage occurred between Begkhola and Tiplyang, where the Kali Gandaki floodwaters swept away transmission poles and wires along a stretch of approximately 1.5 kilometers
The lack of road connectivity has made it difficult to transport equipment and construction materials required for the repair of the transmission line.
Materials are being transported from the NEA's provincial office by vehicle to Rakhu via Beni. From Rakhu onward, porters are being used to carry the equipment to the damaged sections around Begkhola.
Chapagain said repair work has been accelerated to restore electricity supply to the affected areas as soon as possible.