MCC-funded Nepal-India transmission line completed

An 18-kilometre, 400 kV transmission line linking Nepal’s New Butwal substation to the Indian border has been completed in approximately nine months. The project was executed under the US-funded Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) programme by the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal Development Committee (MCA Nepal).

Constructed at a cost of US$12.8 million (approximately Rs 2 billion), the line is designed to strengthen Nepal’s electricity grid and facilitate expanded cross-border power connectivity. Officials noted that completing the project within the scheduled timeframe is a significant achievement for the energy sector.

The MCC Nepal Compact involves a total investment of US$747 million, comprising US$550 million from the United States and US$197 million from Nepal. While this 18-kilometre section is finished, 297 kilometres of the planned 315-kilometre transmission network remain to be built. Construction is currently underway on several other sections, including Lapsiphedi Ratmate New Hetauda, Ratmate New Damauli, and New Damauli New Butwal.