Country to be self-reliant in power in 3 years

Kathmandu, Sept. 14: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Thursday said that the country would be self-reliant in power within the next three years.

NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghishing said that Nepal would produce enough electricity to meet the energy need of the country, and the country would no longer need to import power from India.

“Hurdles at the Upper Tamakoshi have been removed, and we expect to complete the project soon. The 32 MW Chamelia project will be completed within a couple of months, and the 60 MW Trishuli 3A and 14 MW Kulekhani III will start generating power in 20 months and 6 months respectively,” he said at a press meet organised to announce the achievements made by the NEA after he assumed the post of its chief a year ago.

Construction of the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project was badly affected by the devastating Gorkha Earthquake 2015 and the blockade that followed. The disasters delayed the project by more than a year.

However, a recent report said that 85 per cent of the project’s construction has been completed, and the project is expected to come into operation in July next year.

The project is also set to produce an additional 25 MW from the Rolwaling diversion.

The chief of the national electricity monopoly also said that the construction works had been expedited in various projects, such as the 11 MW Rasuwagadhi, 102 MW Mid-Bhotekoshi, 42.4 MW Sanjen and 14.8 MW Upper Sanjen, which were damaged during the quake.

The NEA is also set to sign a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) with the 61-MW grid-connected solar projects being developed at 21 locations across the country.

According to Ghishing, to promote electric vehicles and reduce petroleum imports, battery charging stations will be established at various locations.

He said that a distribution system that could wheel 12,000 MW of electricity would be expanded to major cities and industrial areas in the country.

“To improve the financial condition of the NEA, leakage and operational costs will be minimised, and production will be increased. Electricity leakage will be reduced by 3 per cent next year,” he said.

Leakage was reduced by 3 per cent from about 26 per cent last year.

The NEA, which was facing a Rs. 3.63 billion operational loss in Fiscal Year 2015/16, has earned an operating profit of Rs. 2.4 billion.

The net loss of the NEA last fiscal year was Rs. 978 million. It had suffered a net loss of Rs. 8.89 billion in FY 2015/16.