NEA unlikely to meet electricity generation target in current fiscal year

Kathmandu / March 10: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) had set a target of generating 811 megawatts of electricity in the current fiscal year and connecting it to the national transmission system. However, in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, only 350 MW of electricity has been added to the national grid.

The state-owned NEA is unlikely to meet its target even in the current fiscal year.

With only four months remaining in the current fiscal year, an additional 461 MW of electricity should be added to the national grid to meet the target, but this is unlikely to happen. NEA Spokesperson Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai said that there are some problems in meeting the electricity generation target for the current fiscal year.

“The NEA has set an ambitious target for the hydropower projects under construction in the current fiscal year,” he said.

Spokesman Bhattarai said that during the eight months of the current fiscal year, more than 350 megawatts of electricity was added to the national grid from nearly a dozen and a half hydropower projects. So far, over 2500 MW of electricity has been connected to the national grid through hydropower and solar plants.

In the current fiscal year, the electricity generated from the 86 MW Solu Khola (Dudhkoshi) Hydroelectric Project promoted by the private sector has been added to the national grid. Similarly, the electricity produced by 20 small hydropower and solar plants has been connected to the national grid. According to the NEA, 1 MW from Simara, 1 MW from Solar PV Project, 5 MW from Grid Connected Solar Project, 27 MW from Dordi Khola Hydroelectric Project, 8.63 MW from Chepe Khola Microfinance Project and 12 MW from Dordi-1 Hydroelectric Project have been connected to the national grid by mid-October.

According to the NEA, 0.99 MW from Saiti Khola Hydropower Project, 4 MW from Som Radha Krishna Solar Firm, 28.1 MW from Lower Likhu Hydropower Project, 36 MW from Upper Balephi Hydropower Project, 4.96 MW from Puwa Khola 2 Hydropower Project, 25 from Upper Dordi-1 Hydropower Project, 15.1 MW from Madhya Modi Hydropower Project, and 9.5 MW from Madhya Solu Khola Hydropower Project have been connected to the national transmission line.