Source: www.myrepublica.com
THIRA L BH
USAL
KATHMANDU: After repeated bidding, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has selected Himal Hydro and General Construction Limited (Himal Hydro) for the task of restoring electricity towers in Sunsari district that were hit by the Koshi river flood.
Nepal can import 100 MW of electricity from India once the five towers, demolished by the Koshi River in August, are back in place.
“We selected Himal Hydro and recommended its name to the NEA’s Executive Director on Thursday,” said Yugal Kishor Shah, General Manager, Transmission and System Operation, NEA. “The management will finalize it within a couple of days."
Himal Hydro is a leading construction company in the country and works in the fields of hydropower, tunneling, transmission lines, ropeways and related areas. Its major shareholders are the government of Nepal (11%), United Mission to Nepal (11%) and Nepal Jalabidyut Prabardhan Tatha Bikas Ltd (78%).
The NEA, on November 17, had decided to re-invite tenders to build the towers along the cross-border Kataiya-Duhabi transmission line between Nepal and India.
NEA´s board meeting in November had directed the public utility to immediately re-invite tenders as one of two companies vying for the project was technically disqualified. NEA could not proceed as it has to choose from more than one company in an original tender.
Altogether three construction companies applied in the re-tender process but two of them were disqualified. “They were disqualified as they stipulated that they needed more than two months to complete the work,” said Shah.
But, as per a provision in the tender notice, the work needed to be completed within two months starting from the day the construction company commenced work at the site.
Five towers along the cross-border transmission line had collapsed when the Koshi River breached its embankment at West Kusaha in Sunsari district on Aug. 18 and deviated eastward from its previous course. Nepal had been importing 60 MW of electricity through the transmission line.
Later, NEA signed an agreement with PTC India Limited to import an additional 60 MW during the Power Summit-2008 held in Kathmandu in September. Of that, 20 MW will be imported shortly through the Tanakpur transmission line, Shah said.
But Nepal has been unable to import the remaining 40 MW under the new arrangement. Thus, the collapse of the towers has disrupted supply of 100 MW [60 MW as per the previous arrangement and 40 MW under the new agreement].
NEA officials said they failed to receive many tenders as the work demands special expertise and equipment, which only a few construction companies in Nepal have. The foundations of some of the towers go as deep as 30 meters below the riverbed.
thira@myrepublica.com
