Yet, there is little to cheer up about. The public utility won’t make any changes to the current load-shedding schedule the NEA enforced on January 11.
"We are not going to change the schedule because the water levels in the rivers may further recede in the days to come," NEA spokesperson Dandapani Basyal told myrepublica.com.
"With the generation in Middle Marsyangdi, we will be trying not to further extend the load-shedding hours from the current 16-hours a day."
According to him, consumers were surprised as they found electricity in their households and workplaces for more hours than indicated by the load-shedding schedule. "Still we are not going to change the schedule and the same situation will continue," he added.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal inaugurated the 70 MW run-of-the-river project situated about 170 km west of Kathmandu in Lamjung district on December 14, 2008. Construction of the project commenced on June 25, 2001. The original deadline for project completion was December, 2004. The project was jointly-funded by the government of Nepal, Germany, and the NEA.
Currently, the NEA has brought one of the two units of the project in operation.
"The other unit is in its trial phase," he said. But, only one of the units can be operated during the dry season due to receding water levels in the river.
Basyal said the generation in the project will remain steady as experts have fixed technical glitches encountered during its trial phase.
The NEA enforced a load-shedding schedule of 16-hours of power outage a day, citing receding water levels in the rivers.
All hydro projects in operation in the country, except Kulekhani, are run-of-the-river model projects.
Water levels in Kulekhani, the only storage-type hydro project, remained at a record low this year, NEA said.
Meanwhile entrepreneurs in furniture businesses, grill and metal works, as well as tempo operators have padlocked the NEA’s head office in the capital.
They padlocked the gate at around 11am and continued demonstrating in front of the office for hours.
"Police has not used any force so far (until afternoon) as they have continued peaceful demonstration," Basyal said.
He said commencement of power generation in Middle-Marsyangdi will help calm the public’s ire towards the NEA.
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