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No immediate end to load shedding: NEA officials

Though the country is among richest in water resources, Nepali people are compelled to face load shedding and officials at the Nepal Electricity Authority have said that there is no immediate solution as there was no additional power projects in the pipeline.

Talking to Nepalnews, assistant engineer at the Load Dispatching Centre (LDC) Saroj Baral informed that fast receding water levels in the country's major rivers and increase in the system demands are the main reasons for the load shedding.

“Most of the power projects are not functioning in the full capacity due to various reasons and the water level in major rivers of the country are receding rapidly so load shedding became inevitable this winter,” he added.

Baral informed that there is no hope of addressing the problem immediately as there was no additional power projects in the pipeline except the 70 megawatt Middle Marsyangdhi project, to be operational by the end of 2007 if everything goes well.

This is the first time the country will be facing load-shedding since the 144 megawatt Kali Gandaki 'A' became fully operational in 2002.

NEA said that it is able to produce only 470 megawatts from the total capacity of 540 megawatts from various power projects, whereas the country’s demand in the winter season is over 600 megawatts.

Kathmandu Valley is facing two hours of load-shedding for at least two days a week, while areas outside the Valley will be relatively better off, thanks to power import from India.

The country is already importing nearly 80 megawatts from India via Kataiya in the east and Tanakpur in the west. Additionally, four diesel plants in Duhabi and a multifuel plant in Hetauda are producing another 28 megawatts of expensive power to augment supply.

The import of 80 megawatts from India will not benefit Kathmandu as transmission lines in Lahan and Kohalpur that connect the eastern and western power grids respectively to the central grid cannot transmit power imported from India.

According to NEA, total number of household customers with it stood at over one million by mid-august 2005. nepalnews.com pb Jan 04 06