The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) will cut electricity supply in five districts of Koshi Province and some areas of Morang for two days as it carries out equipment testing and the operation of the Keroun 132/33 kV substation project. According to a public notice issued by the state-owned power utility, the interruption will run from 4 am to 12 pm (noon) on Saturday and again during the same hours on Sunday, affecting supply along the Duhabi-Damak 132 kV transmission line. The authority published the notice in advance so that households, businesses and institutions in the affected areas can prepare for the temporary outage.

Two-Day Outage Announced Through a Public Notice

The Nepal Electricity Authority, the state-owned body responsible for generating, transmitting and distributing electricity across the country, informed consumers of the scheduled interruption through a public notice. Power will remain cut off from 4 am to 12 pm on Saturday, and the outage will be repeated during the same eight-hour window on Sunday. Taken together, consumers in the affected belt face a total of sixteen hours without grid supply across the two days.

The interruption centres on the Duhabi-Damak 132 kV transmission line. Electricity supplied through this line to five districts of Koshi Province, along with certain areas of Morang, will remain disrupted while the authority completes the planned works. The announcement was reported by Nagarik News and Ratopati.

Key Facts at a Glance

  • Who: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA)
  • What: Planned power cut for equipment testing and the operation of the Keroun 132/33 kV substation project
  • When: 4 am to 12 pm (noon) on Saturday and Sunday
  • Where: Five districts of Koshi Province and some areas of Morang
  • Affected infrastructure: Duhabi-Damak 132 kV transmission line

Behind the Cut: Testing the Keroun Substation

The stated reason for the outage is the testing of equipment and the operation of the Keroun 132/33 kV substation project. Bringing a new substation online is not simply a matter of switching it on. Transformers, circuit breakers, protection systems and other equipment must be tested under real conditions, and the new facility has to be integrated with the existing transmission network. Work of this kind generally requires the feeding line to be de-energized so that engineers can carry out the tests safely, which is why the authority has scheduled a temporary interruption rather than attempting the works on a live system.

A 132/33 kV substation performs a specific role in the power chain. It receives electricity transmitted at 132 kV, a voltage used for carrying bulk power over long distances, and steps it down to 33 kV, the level at which power is fed into regional distribution networks before being lowered again for use by homes, offices and factories. The commissioning of the Keroun substation is therefore tied to the distribution backbone of the surrounding districts, and the testing and operation works necessarily involve the transmission line that supplies the area.

The Duhabi-Damak Corridor and Its Reach

The line at the centre of the outage takes its name from its two endpoints: Duhabi, which lies in Sunsari district, and Damak, which lies in Jhapa district. The corridor runs through Morang, which sits between the two, and forms part of the transmission network that carries bulk electricity across the eastern plains of Koshi Province, the country's easternmost province.

Because a 132 kV line of this kind feeds downstream substations and distribution feeders, taking it out of service, even for a limited period, has a cascading effect on supply. That helps explain why the interruption spans five districts at once rather than being confined to a single settlement. Consumers across the corridor served by the Duhabi-Damak line will feel the cut during the stated hours on both days, with the additional areas of Morang also included in the notice.

What Consumers Should Expect

For consumers in the affected districts, the practical message from the notice is straightforward: there will be no electricity supply through the Duhabi-Damak line between 4 am and 12 pm on Saturday and Sunday. Residents, businesses and institutions that depend on an uninterrupted supply, whether for refrigeration, health equipment, internet services or battery-backed systems, will need to plan around the two daytime windows.

Planned interruptions of this kind differ from unplanned blackouts in that they are tied to a specific project, limited to published hours and announced in advance precisely so that the disruption can be managed. The public notice serves as the authority's formal intimation to consumers in the five districts and the affected areas of Morang. Once the equipment testing and operation works on the Keroun 132/33 kV substation are completed within the announced schedule, supply through the Duhabi-Damak 132 kV transmission line is due to return to normal outside the stated outage hours.