KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is preparing to import 1,154 megawatts (MW) of electricity from India to prevent load shedding during the upcoming winter, after recent floods and landslides disrupted domestic power generation.
According to NEA Executive Director Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha, the authority plans to import 600 MW through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line, 54 MW via the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar route, 350 MW through various transmission points in Bihar, and another 150 MW through the real-time contract (RTC) mechanism.
Nepal imported as much as 800 MW of electricity from India during the peak demand period of the previous dry season. The NEA expects domestic generation to decline to around 1,218 MW during the upcoming dry season as river flows decrease. With the planned imports, total available electricity is projected to reach 2,372 MW.
The country’s peak electricity demand stood at 2,292 MW last year. Since demand is not expected to increase significantly this year, Shrestha said the combined domestic generation and imports should be sufficient to meet national requirements.
Recent floods and landslides have caused significant damage to Nepal’s hydropower generation capacity. Floods in October took 317 MW of generation capacity off the national grid, while floods in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli rivers on August 27 halted an additional 430 MW.
Although the disruptions have created a shortfall of around 750 MW in the domestic power system, the NEA expects effective management of electricity imports to ensure a regular and uninterrupted supply to consumers.
Comment