Energy Minister Posta Bahadur Bogati, however, clarified that while the plan is in its final stages, the government is yet to decide whether to buy the thermal plants or install them on rent basis from some international company. He said the government is yet to select the company also. [break]
"We have decided to generate about 200 MWs of electricity from thermal plants but discussions on selecting the company and other details is underway," said Bogati on Friday. "It will be finalized immediately after the prime minister returns home." The prime minister is currently in the United States to attend the UN General Assembly. According to Bogati, the government is holding discussions with various business and industrial groups that may be ready to buy the electricity generated from the thermal plants because it may be more expensive in comparison to the regular rate.
The erstwhile government led by UCPN (Maoist) Chairman Pushpa Kamal Dahal also took the initiative to install thermal plants imported from Norway but he had to step down from government in the midst of the process.
Nepal seeks to double power import from India
The minister said the government is also planning to import more electricity from India. According to him, the government is importing 65 MWs from India at present and it is requesting the southern neighbor to double that.
"We have requested the Indian government to provide electricity to the full capacity of the Nepal-India cross-border transmission line and the Indian side is ready for that," he said. The cross-border transmission line can carry 125 MW of electricity.
He said electricity authorities from both sides first need to fix some technical problems at various points along the cross-border transmission line.
"Since these issues need to be settled at government to government level, we are preparing to hold bilateral discussions immediately after the prime minister´s return," he said.
Bogati also informed that the government is planning to increase the height of the dam at the Kulekhani hydro-electricity project as the water level in the reservoir has already peaked. This is the first time in recent years that the reservoir has been full. "We are planning to adopt temporary measures to increase the reservoir height up to 1.5 meters with sand-filled sacks as per suggestions given by experts," he said.
He said he has also instructed officials from all hydro-projects in operation to start maintenance work so that all the powerhouses will generate at full capacity in winter, when the country faces acute power shortages.
He also informed that he will give continuity to former energy minister Gokarna Bista´s campaign of reducing electricity pilferage and leakage, which is rampant in several districts.
He said he would give priority to starting and completing mid- and small-size projects so that the national grid will be fed additional power within a couple of years.
The government plan has come at the onset of winter when people face acute power shortages. Last year, the government enforced power cuts of upto 16 hours a day. All the hydro-electricity projects produce less than half their total installed capacity as all the projects in the country - except Kulekhani - are built on run-of-river model. Electricity generation in such projects falls drastically with the receding of water levels in rivers.
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