94.8 MW to be connected to national grid this fiscal

Kathmandu, May 9

Additional 94.8 megawatts of electricity generated from various hydroelectricity projects will be connected to the national grid within this fiscal.

According to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) — the state-owned power utility — hydroelectric projects with the capacity to produce 94.8 megawatts of electricity are in the last stage of construction and will be completed within the end of this fiscal year.

The country’s total installed capacity of electricity has just crossed 1,000 megawatts, whereas demand is 1,300 megawatts. Out of total installed capacity of 1,073 megawatts, NEA projects contribute 562 megawatts and 511 megawatts is contributed by independent power producers (IPPs). NEA is currently importing 450 MW of electricity from India to fulfil the demand in the country.

With the addition of 94 megawatts of power, the country’s total installed capacity will rise to 1,167 megawatts, but it will still fall short of the demand.

Of the seven projects nearing completion, 25-megawatt Kabeli B1, 21.6-megawatt Lower Hewa Khola and 20-megawatt Lower Modi are the three major projects.

Also, 100 megawatts of electricity has already been connected to the national grid till date this fiscal, with contribution of 14 projects constructed by NEA and IPPs. These included NEA’s key project — the 30MW Chamelia. Likewise, 13.6MW Thapa Khola and 13MW Madkyu Khola were the major projects that were completed by the private sector.

Looking ahead, a total of 661 megawatts of electricity is expected to be connected to the national grid in fiscal 2018-19. The government and NEA will frequently monitor, coordinate and provide necessary support to the projects to ensure they are completed on time, according to officials.

Among others, 456-megawatt Upper Tamakoshi hydel project, one of the national pride projects, is scheduled to be connected to national grid next fiscal. Similarly, 40MW Khanu Khola 1; 27MW Dordi Khola; 25MW Upper Dordi A; 23.5MW Solu Khola; 22.2 MW Upper Chaku A; 22MW Bagmati Khola Small are the other major projects, out of the total 12 projects, to be connected to the national grid next fiscal.

“We are focused on expediting construction of key NEA projects. These include 456MW Upper Tamakoshi, 14.8MW Upper Sanjen, 102MW Middle Bhotekoshi, 111MW Rasuwagadhi and 42.5MW Sanjen, which are to be completed by 2020,” said Prabal Adhikari, spokesperson for NEA. “Along with these hydropower projects, the government has completed the construction of 132 kV Balanch-Attaria transmission line, which is providing the backbone for the entire Province 7.”

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