Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, is working to reduce the daily load shedding from the existing ten hours to eight on average from early next week.
The increase in water level in the rivers feeding major hydropower projects and uninterrupted power supply from India have contributed to the reduction in power cuts. Electricity consumers in the Kathmandu valley have even reported reduced power outages than the scheduled 10-hour a day in the past few days.
Currently, the country’s peak power demand stands around 1,000 megawatt, while the supply remains around 580 megawatt which includes 170 megawatt of electricity imported from India, according to Bhuwan Chettri, chief of the Load Dispatch Centre at NEA. “Though it is early to say whether the rise in water level is permanent for this season, the new schedule with reduced load shedding hours will be announced officially next week,” he said.
With the onset of summer, the load shedding hours are expected to drop in the coming days from the mid of May in the country. However, with no major hydropower projects in the pipeline, electricity consumers across the country are unlikely to get respite from power shortage, particularly during winter at least for the next five years.
Source : The Kathmandu
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