𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐫𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐨𝐫 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐑𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐍𝐮 𝟐.𝟔𝟕𝟏 𝐁𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐬𝐭 𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬 𝐀𝐧𝐝 𝟔 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐟 𝐈𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭

…𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒂𝒏𝒅𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒕𝒆 𝒑𝒍𝒐𝒕𝒔 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒃𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒗𝒐𝒍𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒖𝒕𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒆𝒔 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒎 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒊𝒇𝒇 𝒊𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔

By Yeshi Dolma

For years, families across the country have lived beneath humming transmission lines that pass over rooftops, orchards and farmland. The presence of these lines has been a quiet burden carried as the national grid expanded. That silence has now ended. A detailed government investigation has revealed the full extent of the encroachment, identifying more than 9,300 private plots inside high voltage transmission corridors covering over 2,200 acres. Compensation has been uneven, field surveys inconsistent and the long overlooked financial implications have now reached Parliament.

What began as a routine review has become one of the most significant land related debates in recent political history.
The Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources submitted its initial report to the National Assembly in May 2025, prompting sharp questions from Members of Parliament and public calls for answers. Following the session, the ministry established a multi agency task force in July to fully map the transmission Right of Way for lines above 66 kilovolts. The team’s mandate was to identify affected landowners, propose compensation methods, calculate costs and assess how payouts would influence electricity tariffs.

After months of field visits, Real Time Kinematic surveys, geospatial mapping and financial analysis, the task force completed its final revisions on October 29 after consultations with the Ministry of Finance. The outcomes were sobering.

Transmission lines cross the entire country, from high altitude settlements to peri urban neighbourhoods. The national grid, measuring 1,836.97 kilometres and supported by 5,050 towers, has been constructed over many decades. Engineers attempted to avoid settlements and sensitive areas, but steep ridges and narrow valleys pushed a significant portion of the network onto private land. At present, 1,049 towers stand on privately owned plots. Compensation has been paid for only 281 towers amounting to Nu 16.42 million. Payments for the remaining 768 towers are ongoing with a combined value of Nu 29.80 million across four voltage categories.

The tower bases, however, represent only part of the challenge. The wider transmission corridor, where construction is restricted and certain crops are prohibited, affects thousands more landowners.

In Chhukha, 1,720 plots covering 506.809 acres fall under transmission corridors, the highest among all districts. Dagana follows with 913 plots over 324.875 acres and Pemagatshel has 894 plots totaling 228.495 acres. Even the capital is affected, with Thimphu recording 547 plots across 69.601 acres. Gasa is the least affected with seven plots covering 0.58 acres.

A majority of the impacted plots, 7,567 in total, are classified as buildable. This means landowners face the greatest restrictions and potential financial loss. Agricultural parcels are dominant, with 6,131 Kamzhing and 1,673 Chhuzhing plots affected, along with apple, orange and cardamom orchards. Residential land is also included, with 476 home sites and several urban village and peri urban parcels located within development zones.

Some households are more directly exposed to danger. During field visits in Chhukha and Thimphu, survey teams found rooftops only a few metres from live lines. In Phuentsholing, proximity was so close that roofing materials were modified under Bhutan Power Corporation supervision to meet safety requirements. “Required safety clearances have been enforced,” BPC assured the task force. The corporation also acknowledged that “additional technical measures can only be implemented during system upgrades.”

Safety concerns have been aggravated by inaccurate tower maps. The task force found horizontal displacement of tower locations ranging from one to seven metres when comparing ground level RTK data with BPC’s digital records. For landowners, these inconsistencies have created long standing uncertainty regarding the exact boundaries of restricted zones.

Yet the most contentious question remains compensation.

The Energy and Natural Resources Minister, Lyonpo Gem Tshering, informed the Assembly that providing full compensation at once would be financially overwhelming. “The compensation will not be given at once but over 30 years,” he said. “If landowners want full compensation upfront, they must hand over the land to BPC. Therefore, to benefit the people, we plan to acquire the land on lease and provide compensation every year.”

Under this plan, landowners would receive annual payments equivalent to 30 percent of the land value based on Property Assessment and Valuation Agency rates. The payout would extend over a 30 year lease period, mirroring the long term life cycle of transmission projects.

The financial difference is significant. One time acquisition at full compensation would cost Nu 2.671 billion. The lease based easement model costs Nu 801.55 million. Analysts estimate that full acquisition would raise electricity tariffs by 6 percent, while the lease option increases tariffs by only 0.3 percent. For lawmakers, these numbers represent a crucial policy decision in a country where affordable electricity is connected to national development goals.

Some member of parliaments (MPs) expressed concerns. Wamrong MP Lam Dorji argued that tariffs should not be increased to cover compensation, stating that the cost should be financed directly rather than through electricity bills. South Thimphu MP Tshewang Rinzin called for “tax exemptions until compensation or land substitution is completed,” noting the heavy burden on families unable to build on their property for many years. Nyishu Sephu MP Kuenga highlighted the difficulties rural landowners face in travelling for assessments and documentation, urging improved outreach.

The minister defended the government’s position based on cost and practicality. Some landowners requested relocation of transmission lines, but he rejected the idea. “Relocating even a single transmission line would require realigning the entire route,” he said. “It would take considerable time. It would also be costly, disrupt power supply, and affect system reliability.” The task force also stated that relocation is “not feasible and not recommended,” warning that it would create new conflicts along any new alignment.

Instead of relocation, the ministry has developed a layered system of remedies. Landowners will first be assessed to determine whether building is possible within safety standards. If construction is not allowed, they may enter an easement lease. Land substitution will be considered only in extreme circumstances, such as when a family owns a single plot that becomes completely unusable. Even then, recipients must develop their replacement land within three years or risk losing it.

Full acquisition will remain a last option. Officials say that acquiring entire plots would generate new social challenges including landlessness for small landowners, loss of livelihood and food insecurity. The report recommends exploring land realignment, value based adjustments with adjoining state land or land pooling within future urban plans.
Institutional lands are also affected. A total of 273 institutional plots covering 186.664 acres fall within transmission corridors, including lands belonging to corporations, local authorities and the monastic body.

The broader picture is one of administrative gaps that persisted for many years. Families faced reduced land value due to restrictions they had not sought and did not fully understand. Some continued farming beneath high voltage lines, others left their plots idle, uncertain about permissible activities. A few attempted construction, only to learn that their building permits would not be approved.

With the new compensation framework, the ministry says clarity is finally available. Implementation, however, now depends on Bhutan Power Corporation. Every affected landowner must apply, undergo assessment and choose among options that carry long term financial and livelihood implications.

After decades of uncertainty, the country now has a structured system grounded in data, legal provisions, safety codes and a payment model intended to balance fairness with fiscal responsibility. Whether it restores public trust will depend on the timeliness and transparency of its implementation.