Cost and feasibility studies were conducted by SNC-Lavalin in 2013, who recommended the construction of a 660 kV long-distance transmission line as the most economically and technically viable long-term option.
[6][7] The board of directors of the Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) issued a formal letter of interest (LOI) to the China Electric Power Equipment and Technology Company (CET) for the development of the line on 16 February 2017.
[9] The PPIB confirmed the issuance of a Letter of Intent (Lol) to CET for the transmission line on 27 March 2017.
[11][17] As the guidelines under Transmission Line Policy 2015 require financial close to be reached within 9 months of the issuance of the LoS, the deadline for achieving financial close for the project was 4 May 2018, and NEPRA allowed a construction period of 27 months, making the Commercial Operations Date (COD) 4 August 2020.
[11][18] On 27 April 2018, the ECC extended the financial close date of the project to 1 December 2018, delaying the new COD to March 2021.