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The price of gold has dropped by Rs 1,500 per tola (11.66 grams) in the domestic market on Sunday. 

According to the Federation of Nepal Gold and Silver Dealers' Association, the gold is being traded at Rs 152,000 per tola today. It was traded at Rs 153,500 per tola on Friday.

However, the price of silver is stagnant. The silver is being traded at Rs 1,810 per tola today.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is arranging alternative power supplies to ensure uninterrupted construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhes Fast Track in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality-8 and Indra Sarovar Rural Municipality-3, Makawanpur.

To facilitate ongoing construction of bridges, tunnels, and other structures, the NEA will require approximately 12 MW of electricity in these areas. The plan involves operating the previously used 66 kV line from the Kulekhani First Hydropower Station at 11 kV, relocating a 22.5 MVA power transformer from Jageda to the Dhorsing Substation, and supplementing the supply with a higher-capacity transformer.

Floods and landslides on Sept 19-20 severely damaged the 22 MW Bagmati Khola Small Hydropower Plant and the 2 MW Khanikhola project, cutting power to the Malta Substation and halting electricity supply to the fast track. Reconstruction of these projects is underway, with completion expected by next Chaitra.

A high-level NEA team, led by Managing Director Kulman Ghising, inspected the affected areas and explored immediate power solutions. Ghising emphasized the importance of ensuring power supply through alternative measures to avoid delays in this national pride project.

Deputy Managing Director Manoj Silwal instructed local distribution heads to expedite restoration efforts. Once the damaged hydropower projects resume operations, the previous power supply arrangements will be reinstated.

The national flag carrier, Nepal Airlines Corporation, owns three Twin Otter aircraft for domestic flights, all of which have been grounded for nearly 12 years.  

One of the aircraft, DHC 6-300 with the call sign ABX, has been sitting idle under the sun at Tribhuvan International Airport since 2012. After its grounding, the remaining two aircraft continued operating on 19 routes until one, Nine-ABT, was grounded on June 6 due to an engine issue. For about six months, only one Twin Otter, Nine-ABU, remained operational for domestic flights. However, it too was grounded on Dec 23 when its engine’s flight hours expired, leading to the complete suspension of the airline’s domestic operations. Despite this, Nepal Airlines Corporation’s leadership appears indifferent to maintaining the grounded aircraft.  

Nepal Airlines is the only carrier serving the country’s remote hilly and mountainous districts. With the grounding of its fleet, all domestic operations have ceased, leaving four contract pilots, 19 engineers, and more than 50 technical staff without work. Employees report that the corporation is losing millions of rupees monthly due to administrative expenses, including staff salaries, despite the suspension of flights.

The Twin Otter Nine-ABU’s engine flight hours expired on Dec 23, and the aircraft had been flying under a flight-hour-saving strategy since May 2024. According to a corporation employee, the right-hand engine’s maximum flight hours had already been reached.  

Meanwhile, the engine of Nine-ABT, grounded on June 6, seized during maintenance. Without a spare engine available, the corporation was unable to repair it. Parts from the Nine-ABT, including its engine, were subsequently transferred to the recently grounded Nine-ABU, according to a source within the corporation.  

The flight hours for the Nine-ABU’s engine were originally capped at 3,600 but were reportedly extended to 4,000, according to insiders. However, the corporation’s technical spokesperson, Engineer Manoj Kumar Shah, refuted these claims. “The corporation is compromising safety by exceeding the approved flight hours. The engine’s capacity is 3,600 hours,” Shah said. He added that the decision to fly the aircraft was made to serve civil aviation needs rather than for commercial profit.  

The corporation had called for bids to repair the engine on Aug 9. Israeli company Bet Semes and Nepali company Mater Trading applied. Bet Semes had prior experience with Nepal Airlines’ engine repairs, while Mater Trading, registered in 2018 for goods transportation, had no relevant background.  

A second tender was issued on Oct 3, to which only Bet Semes responded. Despite Bet Semes’ global reputation for repairing PT6-27 engines, the corporation delayed finalizing an agreement for over two months. A formal agreement with Bet Semes was finally signed on Dec 21. As per the contract, the company must provide a repaired engine within 45 to 90 days, with delivery expected by the end of Jan 2025.  

On the international front, Nepal Airlines’ narrow-body aircraft Nine-N-AKW, which requires a mandatory C-check, has been flying under a flight-hour-saving strategy since October due to delays in selecting a maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider. The aircraft currently operates only two to three sectors per week instead of the usual 27–28 flights, averaging just two hours of flight time daily.  

Currently, the corporation operates two wide-body and two narrow-body aircraft on nine international routes. However, with the Nine-N-AKW nearing its grounding due to delayed maintenance, the airline’s operational capacity is shrinking further. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Culture, Tourism, and Civil Aviation has taken no visible action to address these issues.  

The 132/33 kV substation constructed in Markichowk, Tanahun, has officially come into operation. The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) recently completed the substation’s construction, marking the conclusion of the Madhyamsyangdi-Dumre-Damauli 132 kV transmission line project. Additionally, the Madhyamsyangdi-Damauli-Marsyangdi 132 kV double circuit transmission line is now operational.

The commissioning of the Markichowk Substation is expected to significantly reduce issues such as voltage drops, frequent line trips, and voltage loss in Gorkha, according to Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of NEA. He explained that electricity was previously supplied to Gorkha through a 33 kV line via Damauli-Dumre-Ambukhaireni, which presented challenges due to the long distance. With the new substation, electricity will now flow from Markichowk to Gorkha via Ambukhaireni, shortening the 33 kV line, reducing system leakage, improving voltage stability, and ensuring a more reliable supply.

Ghising also noted that electricity from the 132 kV line at Markichowk Substation can be stepped up to 220 kV through the 132/220 kV substation under construction as part of the Marsyangdi-Matatirtha 220 kV transmission line project. This ongoing project includes the development of a 132/220 kV substation at Markichowk itself.

The project, initiated in fiscal year 2012/13, involved a contract with the Chinese company Pinggao Group Co Ltd. The scope included constructing the Markichowk Substation, expanding GIS bays at Madhyamsyangdi and Damauli substations by one and two, respectively, and adding GIS bays at Lower Marsyangdi. The total estimated cost, funded by the Government of Nepal, NEA, and a concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank, was Rs 600m. According to project chief Shah, the construction was completed within the estimated budget.

The NEA is pursuing a nationwide campaign to build new substations and expand the distribution system to provide quality and reliable electricity. Following the successful elimination of load-shedding in Nepal, the NEA plans to construct and upgrade 30 grid substations and 20 distribution substations during the current fiscal year. Additionally, the authority aims to complete 600 circuit kilometers of transmission lines and 8,000 circuit kilometers of distribution lines within this period.

The government has also adopted a policy of developing high-capacity transmission lines to ensure a consistent power supply for existing and upcoming industrial areas and corridors. To support this, the NEA is actively upgrading substations, building new transmission lines, and strengthening the overall power distribution network.