NEA Automates Seven Grid Substations

Seven of Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) older grid substations have now been fully automated, marking a significant step in the authority’s long-term strategy to modernise Nepal’s power system into a smart and automated network. Work to automate 13 substations began as part of this initiative.

The substations in Panauti (Panchkhal), Banepa, Patan, Lainchaur, Balaju, Chapali, and Bhaktapur have now been integrated into the automated system and brought online, NEA said. These facilities are now operated from a newly constructed control room at NEA’s Minbhawan office. A dedicated control centre has also been established to run and monitor the substations automatically.

The remaining six substations — Syuchatar, Teku, Matatirtha, Chabahil, K-3, and Lamasanghu — are expected to be connected to the automated system within two months. Once fully automated, they will be linked to the Load Dispatch Centre in Syuchatar via the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, further strengthening and stabilising unified grid operations.

NEA Managing Director Manoj Silwal said full automation will reduce frequent power interruptions, improve load management with real-time data, lower operation and maintenance costs, decrease technical losses, and pave the way for smart grid development. He added that automated substations will eventually become unmanned, eliminating the need for staff to be physically present for operations.

The automation project has been implemented using concessional loans from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) under its Electricity Transmission and Distribution Efficiency Enhancement Project. The total cost of the project is around Rs 610 million.

According to NEA, work is ongoing to automate the remaining 64 grid substations nationwide with ADB funding. The authority aims to complete this within the next 18 months, after which all grid substations across Nepal will be fully automated.