KATHMANDU, Jan 4: Buoyed by success in the Kathmandu Valley, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is implementing a plan to end load-shedding in Pokhara.
The power utility is providing uninterrupted power supply in the lake city for the past two weeks.
Speaking at an interaction at the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday, NEA Managing Director Kul Man Ghising said that Pokhara is receiving uninterrupted power supply since two weeks. “Power supply to Biratnagar has improved with the additional imports of 40 MW from India. We have barred industries across the country from operating in the evening hours so that we can provide electricity to household consumers,” Ghising told a gathering of around 100 industrialists and businessmen.
At the program, the industrialists and the businessmen praised the initiatives taken by Minister for Energy Janardan Sharma and NEA Managing Director Ghising to reduce load-shedding across the country.
Ghising also said that only some districts in western Tarai were seeing power cuts at present that too on alternative days. “But power outage is of few hours only,” Ghising said, adding that supply has been interrupted in various places due to technical reason.
"We have been able to manage the peak demand of 1300 MW with only 400 MW domestic generation and 340 MW imported from India," Ghising said, adding that they have managed to produce an additional 25 percent of energy from existing plants.
Ghising said strengthening distribution system and creating new demand for consumption of the electricity generated by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower of 456 MW were his priorities at the moment.
Many fear that there will be energy spell during nighttime in the wet months once Upper Tamakoshi starts generation. But Ghising has a different opinion. He says that the plant's energy also can be utilized at the optimum level as it is a peaking run of river project.
Speaking at the program, FNCCI President Pashupati Murarka had said that Sharma and Ghising have achieved a miraculous feat in electricity distribution. "My industry in Bhairahawa was seeing daily power cuts of 10 to 12 hours last at this time last year.
Now, power outage has come down to only 4 hours per day,” added Murarka.
Energy Minister Janardan Sharma said electricity consumption won't be an issue as market will expand with the establishment of large-scale industries. Sharma also appealed to the industrialists to submit their projected energy demand at the ministry.
“We will be able to sign Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) on 'take or pay' basis only if we have valid energy demand from the industrial sector," he added.
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