2024-09-04

Funding Agency: Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and Government of Nepal
Client: Office of Millennium Challenge Corporation
Date: July 2018 – December 2019

The objective of the Electricity Transmission Project (“ETP”) is to increase per capita electricity consumption by improving the availability and reliability of electricity supply in Nepal’s electricity grid and facilitating power trade. To achieve the ETP objectives, Compact funding will support the following activities:

• Construct new 400kV Double Circuit Transmission Lines of 294 km from

o   Lapsiphedi to Naubise (48 km);

o   New Damauli to New Butwal (84 km); and

o   Naubise to New Hetauda (41 km);

o   New Butwal to the India Border (23 km)

o   Naubise to New Damauli (98 km);

• Construct new 400kV Substations at Ratmate (Naubise), New Damauli, and New Butwal
  
• Coordinate the work with the two new substations being built at Lapsiphedi and New Hetauda (separate contract).
  
• Coordinate the interconnection of the 400kV line to India with the Indian Utility that is constructing the remainder of the line from Gorakhpur, India.
  

The assignment includes technical studies, environmental and social impact assessment and mitigation, resettlement action plan development and implementation, and engineering and technical supervision of the ETP. The key deliverables in this assignment will include:

• Finalize the ROW for each of the line segments;
  
• Develop a base PLS-CADD line route for each of the line segments above with preliminary tower locations, environmental constraints, and existing access roads1;
  
• Assess the environmental and social impacts of clearing the ROW and constructing the transmission lines and substations for each of the segments;
  
• Plan and conduct integrated stakeholder engagement and ensure gender and social inclusion;
  
• Prepare the Environmental and Social Impact Analysis (ESIA), Environmental Impact Analysis (EIA), and Forest Clearance Permit Applications for each of the above segments;
  
• Develop a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) to identify Project Affected Parties (PAPs) eligible for resettlement; and plan the land acquisition, compensation, and livelihood restoration process;
  
• Support OMCN to obtain all required consents and permits;
  
• Select the transmission family of towers required and approximate quantities;
  
• Develop a preliminary geotechnical investigation and provide preliminary foundation drawings for each structure for various geotechnical conditions;
• Develop transmission line specifications for:
  

o Right of Way Clearing

o Overhead Ground Wire Fiber and OPGW

o Conductor

o Access Roads

o Vibration Dampers

o Line Hardware

o Foundations

o Grounding

o Transmission Line Towers

• Provide a preliminary transmission line Bill of Quantities (BoQ);
• Provide a PSS/E study of the system and associated interconnection with the Indian Grid;
• Evaluate the needs for a Phase Shifting Transformer or HVDC tie and provide recommendations;
• Prepare models suitable for insulation coordination analysis (lightning, transient overvoltage, and contamination), corona and field effects, short circuit studies, arc flash studies, and protective relaying studies in accordance with NEA and interconnecting system standards and software preference;
• Provide a protection coordination study for the three proposed substations with input from the two new substations built by others at Lapsiphedi and New Hetauda, and the new substation at Gorakhpur, India;
• Provide a site layout of the three substations;
• Provide 1-Line and 3-Line drawings;
• Develop equipment specifications for the following;

o Reactors

o Station Service

o Control Building

o Switches

o Transformers

o Grounding

o Bus

o SCADA

o Breakers

o Protection Relays

o Telecommunications

Overall Services provided:

TMS will assist in preparing the following preliminary deliverables:

• Prepare Inception Report, Scoping Report, EIA Terms of Reference, EIA Baseline Field Study Work Plan;
  
• Collect Data and conduct a household survey (Estimated 900 Household Survey);
  
• Prepare ESIA and EIA including baseline and impact sections for water resources (including hydrogeology, hydrology, and water quality), socioeconomics, employment and livelihoods, gender, indigenous peoples, land acquisition, physical resettlement, and economic displacement, community health and safety, community facilities, labor, cultural heritage and ecosystem services;
  
• Plan and Conduct Ongoing Integrated Stakeholder Engagement and Ensure Gender and Social Inclusion;
  
• Prepare a proposed plan for the benefit sharing sub-activity, BIKAS;
  
• Develop a Resettlement Action Plan (RAP) to identify project-affected parties eligible for resettlement and plan the land acquisition, right of way compensation and livelihood restoration process;
• Provide technical documents for bid packages that encompass all aspects of environmental and social impact management and mitigation measures;
• GIS Analysis
• Establishing and operating Project Information Centre (PIC) in 9 districts of the project area in order to provide project information to local people, government, and stakeholders.