Load shedding to come down to four hours by 2016

KATHMANDU: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has submitted a roadmap for reducing load shedding hours in the dry season by four hours in the next six years to the Electricity Tariff Commission (ETC). The roadmap was prepared after ETC demanded NEA commitment to reduce load shedding and control financial irregularities.NEA has presented specific programmes for each year to reduce load shedding hours. In a bid to meet the demand in 2011 it has plans to maintain Hetauda Diesel Plant and buy as much energy as possible from India. Besides this, 22.62 MW produced by Independent Power Producers (IPP) will be added to the main grid. In 2012, NEA will establish leased thermal plans to provide electricity to dedicated feeder customers such as industries. It will also add around 57 MW to the national grid thorough various new hydropower projects including Kulekhani III-14 MW.Although NEA had proposed tariff hike six months ago, stating that it had not been increased for a decade, the tariff commission had said that NEA needed to set its house in order. Reasoning that issues such as internal financial irregularities, over staffing and political factors needed to addressed first, the commission had refused to hike the tariff. “There are some weaknesses in NEA but they are not the sole reasons for the present pitiable situation. The price has not been hiked in the last decade. If you compare the electricity price to the price increment of other commodities in the same period, a hike becomes inevitable. NEA is ready to work to minimise its weaknesses, but there is no alternative of price hike,” said Dr Jivendra Jha, managing director, NEA. The roadmap assumes that if all goes well and running projects come up with the energy within time it will be possible to reduce load shedding. By 2014, the 440 KV Muzaffarpur – Dhalkebar transmission line will be completed, which will enable purchase of more energy from India. NEA expects to buy 150 MW from India by 2014. Upper Tamakoshi (456 MW) and Likhu-4 (120 MW) projects will also be completed by 2014.Still, the high demand for energy will force NEA to stick to the four-hour load shedding schedule during dry season, but by 2014, there will be no power outage in the rainy season, claims the report.
NEA’s projections
Year Demand Supply Load shedding (MW) (MW) Hours (Dry season) 2010/11 860 700 142011/12 898 730 162012/13 989 800 162013/14 1080 950 82014/15 1179 1150 8