Load-shedding likely to be more severe
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KATHMANDU, NOV 13 -
Though long hours of power cuts have not started like last year even as it is mid November, load-shedding could get worse than last year in the days to come if the government’s plan to import an additional 75 MW of electricity from India doesn’t materialise soon.
According to an official at the Ministry of Energy (MoE), the government is awaiting a ‘go-ahead’ from India on the additional power through different Nepal-India border areas namely Birgunj, Bhairahawa, Duhabi and Mahendranagar.
Last year, consumers faced power cuts to a maximum of 14 hours a day. Energy Secretary Bala Nanda Poudel said the infrastructure required to buy additional power from India is all in place and that negotiations are on with Indian authorities. “We all are waiting for the green signal from the Indian side,” he said.
During his recent visit to India, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai had requested the Indian government to provide additional power to Nepal to address the serious power woes, particularly during the dry season. The Indian side had responded positively.
India is currently exporting 125 MW to Nepal through Dhalkebar-Muzzafarpur and Mahendranagar-Tanakpur.
The government is also working to repair the existing diesel plants in the country to provide additional power to the national grid and reduce load-shedding during the winter.
Bhattarai has said that power cuts this year will go up to 18 to 19 hours a day due to the huge difference between the demand and supply. In November last year, the country faced up to five hours of load-shedding a day, while it is a two-hour affair every day at at present.
“We have been able to add 5-6 MW to the national grid so far while the demand is ever increasing to more than 150 MW,” Poudel said. The current peak power demand is around 770 MW while the supply is around 420.
Meanwhile, water in the Kulekhani Reservoir (92-MW), the only storage-type hydropower project in the country, has exceeded its normal level this year. “The additional water level in the reservoir will be able to help reduce load-shedding to around two hours a day this winter,” Poudel said.
Posted on: 2011-11-13 09:27
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