Kathmandu, September 4
The Chinese government has rejected Nepal’s proposal to build the Galchhi-Kiyrong cross-border transmission line with a grant from China. Beijing has also told Nepali officials that Kathmandu most also invest in the project.
According to a government source, Chinese officials have proposed that the transmission line be built along with the Kathmandu-Kyiron railway line so that power from the line can also be used to run the railway.
The proposal comes two years after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Chinese counterpart agreed to build the cross-border transmission line. Both sides started negotiating the terms for the project after Prime Minister returned to Kathmandu. A five-member delegation led by Nepal Electricity Authority’s Transmission Line Directorate Acting chief Bajra Bhusan Chaudhary recently visited China to continue the talks.
According to a source, Chinese officials, during the course of the meeting, insisted that the financing modality of the prospective project be settled before a feasibility study can be carried out. The source said that the Chinese delegation also wanted to know how much electricity Nepal expects to buy from China in the next decade.
