“There will be two hours additional power cut from Thursday,” Sher Singh Bhat, Director of the System Operation Department of NEA, told myrepublica.com on Tuesday. [break]
The NEA was also imposing an hour extra power cut from the nine-hour schedule in some groups without informing the public for the last four-five days.
“We had extra power cut in few groups to balance the supply,” Bhat admitted when asked to comment.
The power cut hours have been increased as hydropower projects are generating less electricity due to receding water levels in the rivers. All the hydropower projects in the country -- except Kulekhani -- are built on run-of-river model.
- Load-shedding up by two hours
- NEA was imposing one hour cut unannounced
- No more power import from India
- Thermal plants´ repair work under way
- Thermal plant import from Germany in limbo
The Ministry of Energy Dr Prakash Sharan Mahat, on the other hand, has claimed that it is working to ensure that the load-shedding schedule does not exceed 12 hours as planned earlier.
Minister Mahat also informed that all the repair and maintenance work of thermal plants in Biratnagar and Hetauda are under way. “We have initiated the repair work of both the plants, which should help deal with load-shedding,” Mahat said.
However, all works relating to the import of a thermal plant from Germany is still in limbo. The ministry had claimed in December that with the import, some 50 MW demand would be met.
Meanwhile, the NEA has said that there is now “no possibility” of importing any more power from India besides the 30 MW agreed upon last week in New Delhi. “We have been told that the transmission line capacity is only for 30 MW, which means there is no possibility of importing additional power from India now,” Bhat added.
akanshya@myrepublica.com
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