Nepal : Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project
The project will improve the reliability of energy supply in Nepal and strengthen the transmission infrastructure needed to promote Nepal's capacity for cross-border energy trade. It will provide support in three critical areas in the electricity supply industry, which has experienced severe underinvestment: (i) electricity transmission capacity expansion, (ii) strengthening of distribution systems including those along the Tamakoshi (Khimti)-Kathmandu transmission line, and (iii) rehabilitation of selected small hydropower plants.
Project Details
-
Project Officer
Shah, Grishma
South Asia Department
Request for information -
Country/Economy
Nepal -
Modality
-
Sector
- Energy
Related Projects
| Project Name | Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Number | 41155-013 | ||||||||||||||||
| Country / Economy | Nepal |
||||||||||||||||
| Project Status | Active | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Type / Modality of Assistance | Grant Loan Technical Assistance |
||||||||||||||||
| Source of Funding / Amount |
|
||||||||||||||||
| Strategic Agendas | Environmentally sustainable growth Inclusive economic growth Regional integration |
||||||||||||||||
| Drivers of Change | Gender Equity and Mainstreaming Governance and capacity development Partnerships |
||||||||||||||||
| Sector / Subsector | Energy / Electricity transmission and distribution - Energy efficiency and conservation - Energy sector development and institutional reform |
||||||||||||||||
| Gender | Effective gender mainstreaming | ||||||||||||||||
| Description | The project will improve the reliability of energy supply in Nepal and strengthen the transmission infrastructure needed to promote Nepal's capacity for cross-border energy trade. It will provide support in three critical areas in the electricity supply industry, which has experienced severe underinvestment: (i) electricity transmission capacity expansion, (ii) strengthening of distribution systems including those along the Tamakoshi (Khimti)-Kathmandu transmission line, and (iii) rehabilitation of selected small hydropower plants. | ||||||||||||||||
| Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy | The current available generating capacity of 705 megawatts (MW) in Nepal comes predominantly from hydropower. At system peak time, up to 400 MW of load is shed countrywide, depending on variations in available water resources and transmission limitations. Six hydropower projects totaling 592 MW are presently under construction. Another six projects with a total capacity of 1,335 MW are planned or proposed in the near to medium term. Limited transmission capacity in Western region of Nepal has restricted additional electricity imports through the western border with India. The first large-scale cross-border transmission line with India between Dhalkebar (Nepal) and Muzarffarpur (India), with a capacity of 1,000 MW, is at an advanced stage of preparation. This will enable Nepal to import electricity from India initially and later facilitate hydropower export. However, the full benefits of this critical regional connection can be harnessed only when adequate strengthening of the related transmission infrastructure within Nepal is undertaken. | ||||||||||||||||
| Impact | Increased access to reliable supply of electricity |
||||||||||||||||
| Project Outcome | |
|---|---|
| Description of Outcome | Improved electricity supply |
| Progress Toward Outcome | Subprojects are at different stages of implementation and expected to ensure achievement of the outcome. |
| Implementation Progress | |
| Description of Project Outputs | Increased electricity transmission Expanded electricity distribution Enhanced electricity generation Efficient project management |
| Status of Implementation Progress (Outputs, Activities, and Issues) | 1. Increased electricity transmission: Second circuit stringing of Kohalpur - Mahendranagar 132 kV transmission line has been completed. It is under operation along with the associated substations. Tamakoshi (New Khimti) - Kathmandu 220/400 kV and 132 kV transmission lines are under construction. 2. Expanded electricity distribution: All packages under distribution component (i) Part B Lot 1: Augmentation of Distribution Services (East), (ii) Part B Lot 2: Augmentation of Distribution Services (West), and (iii) Part B Lot 3: Upgradation of Distribution Lines are completed and under operation. 3. Enhanced electricity generation: Sundarijal hydropower plant (960 kilowatts) is under operation after successful rehabilitation. 4. Efficient project management: Work completed and data collection is ongoing for electrification. Training programs have been completed with 80% women and marginalized groups. |
| Geographical Location | Nation-wide, Amuwa, Bagmati Zone, Bahrabise, Belbari, Bheri Zone, Bhimeshwor, Bhurigaun, Butwal, Chandragadhi1, Chapali, Dhading, Gaddachauki, Gaur, Gorkha, Janakpur Zone, Jorpati, Kanchanpur, Kathmandu, Khimti, Kohalpur, KrishnaNagar1, Mahakali Zone, Mahendranagar, Mirmi, Nijgarh, Parasi, Seti Zone, Sundarijal, Syanja, Taulihawa |
| Safeguard Categories | |
|---|---|
| Environment | B |
| Involuntary Resettlement | B |
| Indigenous Peoples | C |
| Summary of Environmental and Social Aspects | |
|---|---|
| Environmental Aspects | The initial environment examinations were prepared following ADBs Safeguard Policy Statement (2009), the governments environmental impact assessment guidelines, and related national policies and legislation. Public consultation and information disclosure requirements have been met. Alignment of transmission lines has avoided any environmentally and ecologically sensitive areas. Out of the total length of the Tamakoshi (Khimti)-Kathmandu line, 16 kilometers have been reported to pass through some forest areas in Chanrawati Watershed area. Any loss of vegetation within the right-of-way will be directly offset by reforestation activities consistent with the requirements of the government. The NEA will ensure that ongoing reforestation initiatives within the Chanrawati Watershed will not be affected. Installation of the second circuit for the Kohalpur-Mahendranagar line did not have any significant impacts as existing right-of-way. Decommissioned equipment and materials from the rehabilitation of distribution substations and the small hydropower plants did not cause any risk to community health and safety as these will be stored on site until they can be safely reused and redistributed to other substations. Disposal of unusable equipment will comply with national and international requirements such as the Stockholm Convention. The environmental management plan (EMP) includes mitigation measures, monitoring, and adequate budgetary provisions for its implementation. The EMP will be part of the bidding documents and the NEA will supervise the construction contracts and EMP implementation. Monitoring reports will be submitted semiannually by the NEA to ADB. EMPs will be updated if unanticipated impacts are identified during implementation. Third-party services will be utilized for monitoring and mitigation activities as necessary.Initial Environmental Examination(IEE) is approved for Tamakoshi-Kathmandu 220/ 400kV Transmission Line Project by Government Of Nepal. |
| Involuntary Resettlement | A detailed resettlement plan will guide the resettlement process and describe the nature of impacts, range of and eligibility for entitlements, income and livelihood restoration, rehabilitation assistance, and compensation for losses incurred. The resettlement plan details the institutional arrangements for implementation, a procedure for grievance redress, a structure for periodic and regular monitoring and reporting of project activities, detailed cost and budget estimates, and a time-bound implementation schedule. The resettlement plan will be updated as needed and publicly disclosed to interested stakeholders on the ADB and NEA websites. |
| Indigenous Peoples | No adverse impacts on indigenous groups are expected from project activities. People using or living along the transmission line will be temporarily impacted and restricted to using affected land for agricultural purposes. Affected persons will be eligible for compensation in line with ADB s Safeguard Policy Statement requirements. Project-affected peoples will be consulted on a regular basis as needed, in a timely, open, transparent, and culturally sensitive manner and in the local language. |
| Stakeholder Communication, Participation, and Consultation | |
| During Project Design | Consultations were conducted during project preparation with relevant stakeholder groups (i.e., Ministry of Energy, Nepal Electricity Authority, local authorities, civil society groups, the communities living around the facilities funded under the loan, electricity consumers who benefitted from the project and any associations representing them) through field visits and workshops. |
| During Project Implementation | Regular meetings with the executing agency and implementing agency-Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), and contractors of critical packages jointly with NEA are being done. Regular missions to review the progress, identify the issues and ways to resolve them are being carried out. Under TA, stakeholder communication, participation and consultation are being done. |
| Business Opportunities | |
|---|---|
| Consulting Services | A consulting firm has been recruited, using ADB's Quality and Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) method, to provide support for the 220/400kV Tamakoshi (Khimiti)-Kathmandu Transmission Line and capacity building for staff of the Nepal Electricity Authority. Consultant for the design and implementation of Part C (i.e., the rehabilitation of Sundarijal HPP (640KW) and Tinau HPP (1MW) has been recruited based on the procedures acceptable to ADB for recruiting individual consultants. Recruitment of a consulting firm, Project Supervision Consultant using ADB's Consultants' Qualifications Selections (CQS) method and recruitment of individual consultant, Social Safeguard Expert using Individual Consultant Selection method have been completed. A national NGO and an international Technical Advisor have been engaged under the TA project in accordance with ADB Guidelines on the Use of Consultants (2010, as amended from time to time). |
| Procurement | All procurement to be financed under the ADB will be carried out in accordance with ADBs Procurement Guidelines. International competitive bidding procedures are/ will be used for all the components. All the contracts have been awarded. |
| Responsible ADB Officer | Shah, Grishma |
| Responsible ADB Department | South Asia Department |
| Responsible ADB Division | Nepal Resident Mission (NRM) |
| Executing Agencies |
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) |
| Timetable | |
|---|---|
| Concept Clearance | 26 Jan 2021 |
| Fact Finding | 22 Aug 2011 to 26 Aug 2011 |
| MRM | 06 Oct 2011 |
| Approval | 15 Nov 2011 |
| Last Review Mission | - |
| PDS Creation Date | 02 Sep 2010 |
| Last PDS Update | 16 Sep 2022 |
Grant 0270-NEP
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 15 Nov 2011 | 23 Mar 2012 | 21 Jun 2012 | 31 Dec 2017 | 31 Dec 2023 | - |
| Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 19.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 19.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 19.01 | 0.00 | 100% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 0.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 18.63 | 0.00 | 98% |
| Status of Covenants | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
| Rating | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | - | Satisfactory |
Grant 0271-NEP
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 15 Nov 2011 | 23 Mar 2012 | 21 Jun 2012 | 31 Dec 2017 | 31 Dec 2023 | - |
| Financing Plan | Grant Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 53.05 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 0.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 0.00 | 25.00 | 100% |
| Counterpart | 28.05 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 25.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 0.00 | 17.99 | 72% |
| Status of Covenants | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
| Rating | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | - | Satisfactory |
Loan 2808-NEP
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 15 Nov 2011 | 23 Mar 2012 | 21 Jun 2012 | 31 Dec 2017 | 31 Dec 2023 | - |
| Financing Plan | Loan Utilization | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total (Amount in US$ million) | Date | ADB | Others | Net Percentage | |
| Project Cost | 56.00 | Cumulative Contract Awards | |||
| ADB | 56.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 46.20 | 0.00 | 99% |
| Counterpart | 0.00 | Cumulative Disbursements | |||
| Cofinancing | 0.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 39.93 | 0.00 | 85% |
| Status of Covenants | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
| Rating | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | - | Satisfactory |
TA 7923-NEP
| Milestones | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Approval | Signing Date | Effectivity Date | Closing | ||
| Original | Revised | Actual | |||
| 15 Nov 2011 | 21 Dec 2011 | 21 Dec 2011 | 28 Feb 2015 | 31 Dec 2015 | 31 May 2016 |
| Financing Plan/TA Utilization | Cumulative Disbursements | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ADB | Cofinancing | Counterpart | Total | Date | Amount | |||
| Gov | Beneficiaries | Project Sponsor | Others | |||||
| 250,000.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 250,000.00 | 25 Aug 2023 | 207,595.49 |
| Status of Covenants | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Category | Sector | Safeguards | Social | Financial | Economic | Others |
| Rating | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | Satisfactory | - | Satisfactory |
Project Data Sheets (PDS) contain summary information on the project or program. Because the PDS is a work in progress, some information may not be included in its initial version but will be added as it becomes available. Information about proposed projects is tentative and indicative.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) recognizes that transparency and accountability are essential to development effectiveness. It establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced.
The Accountability Mechanism provides a forum where people adversely affected by ADB-assisted projects can voice and seek solutions to their problems and report alleged noncompliance of ADB's operational policies and procedures.
In preparing any country program or strategy, financing any project, or by making any designation of, or reference to, a particular territory or geographic area in this document, the Asian Development Bank does not intend to make any judgments as to the legal or other status of any territory or area.
Safeguard Documents See also: Safeguards
Safeguard documents provided at the time of project/facility approval may also be found in the list of linked documents provided with the Report and Recommendation of the President.
Evaluation Documents See also: Independent Evaluation
None currently available.
Related Publications
None currently available.
The Access to Information Policy (AIP) establishes the disclosure requirements for documents and information ADB produces or requires to be produced in its operations to facilitate stakeholder participation in ADB's decision-making. For more information, refer to the Safeguard Policy Statement, Operations Manual F1, and Operations Manual L3.
Requests for information may also be directed to the InfoUnit.
Reliable Electricity Supply Gives New Lease on Life to Nepal’s Villages
ADB projects in Nepal are strengthening the nation's electricity transmission system while improving people's lives at the grassroots level.
Working to End Nepal's Energy Crisis
With the support of the Asian Development Bank, Norway, and other donors, the government in Nepal is improving electricity distribution and efficiency, working to end the country’s energy crisis.
Tenders
| Tender Title | Type | Status | Posting Date | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Social Safeguard Expert | Individual - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Project Supervision Consultant | Firm - Consulting | Closed | ||
| Loan Nos. 2808/0270/0271-NEP: Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project [ICB-PMD-TKTLP-075/76-01-R] REBIDDING | Invitation for Bids | Closed |
Contracts Awarded
| Contract Title | Approval Number | Contract Date | Contractor | Address | Executing Agency | Total Contract Amount (US$) | Contract Amount Financed by ADB (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Supervision Consultant (Phase II) | Loan 2808 | 24 May 2022 | Power Grid Corporation of India Limited in Association with Jade Consult Pvt. Ltd. | Gurgaon, Haryana 122 001 | Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) | 377,982.00 | 377,982.00 |
| DESIGN SUPPLY INSTALLATION AND COMISSIONING OF NEW KHIMTI-BARHBISE 400KV TRANSMISSION LINE | Grant 0270 | 20 May 2019 | KEC INTERNATIONAL | INDIA INDIA | Nepal Electricity Authority | 9,507,864.95 | — |
| DESIGN SUPPLY INSTALLATION AND COMISSIONING OF NEW KHIMTI-BARHBISE 400KV TRANSMISSION LINE | Grant 0271 | 20 May 2019 | KEC INTERNATIONAL | INDIA INDIA | Nepal Electricity Authority | 3,902,901.49 | — |
| DESIGN, SUPPLY, INSTALLATION AND COMISSIONING OF N EW KHIMTI-BARHBISE 400KV TRANSMISSION LINE | Loan 2808 | 03 Jun 2019 | KEC INTERNATIONAL | INDIA INDIA | Nepal Electricity Authority | 23,730,349.67 | 8,350,750.72 |
| PROUREMENT OF BARHABISE-KATHMANDU 400/220KV SS AND 132 KV TRANSMISSION LINE PROJECT (TDTKTLP 072/73 -01) | Loan 2808 | 10 Nov 2017 | LARSEN AND TURBO LIMITED | MOUNT POONAMALLE ROAD, MANAPAKKAM PO BOX NO:979, CHENNA INDIA INDIA | Nepal Electricity Authority | 22,135,487.00 | 1.00 |
| Procurement of Plant for Barhabise- Kathmandu 400/ 220 Kv and 132 Kv Transmission Line Project (TDTKT LP 073/74-01 | Loan 2808 | 21 Jun 2017 | Larsen & Turbo Limited | Mount Poonamalle Road, Manapakkam P.B No:797, Chennai 600089, India | Nepal Electricity Authority | 22,733,977.00 | 7,070,221.00 |
Procurement Plan
| Title | Document Type | Document Date |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity Transmission Expansion and Supply Improvement Project: Procurement Plan | Procurement Plans | Nov 2021 |