Nepal to import 80 MW electricity from tomorrow

Kathmandu February 16-  Nepal is all set to start importing an additional 80MW electricity from India from Wednesday through the newly-completed 400kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) will import the power for the next four and half months.
With NEA and India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam settling the price for the electricity to be imported, the two sides on Monday signed a temporary power supply agreement. The agreement, signed by NEA Managing Director Mukesh Kafle and NTPC General Manager AK Maggu—will expire in June-end, subject to potential extension.

After signing the agreement, Kafle said the import of additional power from India would give some relief to the people facing extended power outage hours. “It could help reduce load shedding by two hours,” said Kafle. “But we cannot be sure about it as water levels in rivers and Kulekhani Reservoir are decreasing.” He, however, confirmed the long shedding hours would not increase further.

NEA will test-distribute the imported electricity for a week, which will give a clear picture of whether load shedding hours would reduce, NEA officials said. The country is currently facing 13 hours of power outage every day.

NEA will pay Rs5.5 per unit (IRs3.44 per unit) to NTPC for the electricity to be imported. Earlier, NTPC had demanded Rs8.8 per unit. “This is the cheapest rate Nepal will be paying after 70 million units of free power the country has been receiving from India from Tanakpur as per the Mahakali Treaty,” said Sher Singh Bhat, deputy managing director of NEA.

He said Nepal would have to pay around Rs300 million to the Indian company for importing 80MW In 2014-15, Nepal paid around Rs10 billion to India for importing electricity, according to NEA statistics.