Nepal Transmission System — 400 kV Landscape & Cross-Border Plan (2025)

Summary

Reference compilation for Nepal's current and planned high-voltage transmission assets — the 400 kV east–west backbone and parallel central corridor, the legacy 220 kV and 132 kV grid, and the cross-border interconnections with India (ten links at five voltage levels). Drawn from NEA's 2024/25 annual report, NEA Transmission Directorate publications, the Millennium Challenge Account Nepal (MCA-Nepal) compact programme documents, and news reporting of individual commissioning events.

Key Data Points

400 kV operational backbone

Hetauda–Dhalkebar–Inaruwa (HDDI) — first and currently only 400 kV east–west backbone inside Nepal. Commissioned in segments 2018–2022. Total spine ~300 km.
Feeds the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur cross-border link (400 kV bipole, operational since 2016, ADB + KfW co-financed). This is the sole operational 400 kV export route.

400 kV under construction / implementation

MCA central 400 kV (Lapsiphedi–Ratmate–Hetauda–Damauli–Butwal) — the MCA-Nepal compact's headline 315 km transmission line, partially energised in 2025. Completion target 2026–2027.
Gorakhpur–New Butwal 400 kV — second cross-border link, under construction. Commissioning target mid-2026.
Inaruwa–Purnea 400 kV — third cross-border, implementation phase. Critical to Arun-3 evacuation once the plant is online.
Lamki–Bareilly 400 kV — western cross-border at implementation setup; completion horizon 2027+.

220 kV operational

Khimti–Dhalkebar 220 kV — original IPP evacuation corridor
Hetauda–Bharatpur–Bardaghat 220 kV — east–west spine at 220 kV
Dana–Kushma–New Butwal 220 kV — west-central hydropower corridor

132 kV cross-border (legacy, operational)

Kataiya–Kushaha (since 1971, the historic first link)
Raxaul–Parwanipur, New Nautanwa–Mainahiya, Tanakpur–Mahendranagar

Planned / under construction cross-border

Nepalgunj–Nanpara 132 kV (under construction)
Chameliya–Jauljibi 220 kV (planned, far-west)

System-level parameters

Nepal–India transfer capacity, 2025: ~2,300 MW total across all interconnections combined
Current concurrent peak export: ~1,200 MW (monsoon 2024–25)
Grid code: NEA grid code 2019 (amended 2022); Indian-side dispatch via NRLDC

Relevance to Project

Primary source for the voltage levels, statuses, schedules and strategic roles of Nepal's ten currently-tracked corridors and ten cross-border interconnections. Used as the baseline citation for all per-corridor entity pages.

Limitations

Compilation, not primary source: Drawn from multiple sources (NEA annual reports, Transmission Directorate documents, MCA-Nepal, news reporting) with varying update cycles and verification standards.
Snapshot date: July 2025. Commissioning targets (e.g., Gorakhpur–New Butwal mid-2026) are forward-looking and subject to delay.
Missing granularity: Actual segment-level substation capacities are confidential. Indian-side evacuation constraints beyond border crossings are not covered. Load-flow studies and battery/STATCOM plans are not included.
Transfer capacity estimates: The ~2,300 MW total Nepal–India transfer capacity and ~1,200 MW concurrent peak export are operational approximations, not audited figures.

What This Source Does Not Cover

Actual segment-level substation capacities (published only in confidential planning documents)
Indian-side evacuation constraints beyond the border crossings
Load flow studies under different generation dispatch scenarios
Battery and STATCOM augmentation plans