Abstract

Nepal’s electrical distribution systems face challenges, such as excessive technical losses and inadequate voltage regulation, particularly in urban centers like Biratnagar. The 33 kV radial distribution network experiences power losses of 5.155 MW (13.6% of the supplied power) and minimum voltages of 94.2%, which is below the acceptable standard of 95%. This study investigates three reconfiguration strategies using the ETAP software with Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) 2025 operational data: distributed generation (DG) with rooftop photovoltaic systems at 25% penetration, conductor upgrading to higher-capacity ACSR types, and shunt capacitor bank placement at alternative voltage levels. The distributed generation achieved a 31.2% loss reduction to 3.549 MW while improving the minimum voltage to 95.9%. Conductor upgrading provides a maximum loss reduction of 46.5% to 2.757 MW with a voltage improvement of 96.1%. Capacitor banks at 11 kV enhance the voltage profile to 96.9% with a 32.5% loss reduction, whereas 33 kV placement achieves 28.4% loss reduction with inferior voltage support. Each strategy impacts system performance differently: conductor upgrading reduces conductor resistance, DG systems reduce the transmission current through local generation, and 11 kV capacitors provide reactive power support where voltage drops are critical. The analysis shows that no strategy optimizes all performance metrics, revealing trade-offs between loss reduction and voltage improvement. This research provides the NEA with a technical comparison to select strategies aligned with loss minimization or voltage quality improvement priorities.