Heavy rain results in disruption of 500 MW electricity

KATHMANDU: The nationwide torrential rainfall has disrupted the power generation of almost 500 megawatts from different hydropower projects.

According to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), some projects of the NEA and private sectors failed to produce energy due to floods in the rivers.

It is said that the NEA’s projects of 240-megawatt power and private sector’s projects producing 250 megawatts of hydropower were hit from the monsoon flooding.

NEA’s Executive Director Kulman Ghising said the power production, transmission and supply system across the country was affected by the rain.

He added that NEA’s powerhouses were generating just 40 percent of their capacity. Ghising said that technicians’ teams are deployed for the power supply management by repairing powerhouses, transmission and supply lines of the disrupted projects.

Country’s largest Kaligandaki ‘A’ Hydropower Project of 144 megawatts is closed from 8:00 am Friday as the water flow rose in the Kaligandaki River. Similarly, the powerhouses of the Mid Marsyangdhi Project of 70 MW, Trishuli of 16 MW and Devighat of 14 MW are closed while some projects run by the private sector have also faced closure after the rain.