KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has predicted the fall in its revenue in the current fiscal year owing to the decline in electricity consumption caused by the countrywide lockdown.

NEA which had the target of generating Rs 80 billion revenue this year, has predicted it won’t be able to make it happen due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown enforced to curb it.

NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising informed that the authority is less likely to meet its annual target despite good income in first 8 months.

“Despite good collection in first 8 months, COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown that ensued has affection the revenue collection,” Ghising said.

The closure of industry, factories and business sector due to lockdown the consumption of electricity has fallen by 20%.

According to NEA sources, the electricity authority gets Rs 32 billion from domestic use, Rs 32 billion from the industrial sector and rest from other sectors.

Generally, NEA collects Rs six billion rupees every month. But the lockdown has caused the decline in use and has also adversely affected the regular collection. Consumption has gone down by 20%.

There used to be the demand for more than 20 thousand megawatts per hour on normal days, now it has shrunk to 14,500 megawatts per hour. There is the more the decline of nearly 6 million units in daily consumption.

On average, NEA collects Rs 10 per unit from its customers.