Electricity Crisis in Nepal
Electricity Crisis in Nepal
“Not a day goes by without a few hours of power cuts. Load shedding has now become a perennial problem and it is here to stay."
The story of power position in Nepal is that of highest potential and lowest consumption. The electricity demand in Nepal is increasing by about 10 percent every year and close to 40 percent of the approximate Nepalese population has access to electricity so far. The main load centre is the central zone which includes the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal owns a number of hydropower plants with average total installed capacity of around 650 MW which includes several small and medium hydropower plants.
The hydropower development in Nepal began with the development of 500 kW Pharping Power Plant in 1911. Some of the other major hydro power plants in Nepal can be listed as: Trishuli, Sunkoshi, Gandaki, Kulekhani II, Marshyangdi, Puwa, Modi, Kaligandaki, Andhikhola, Jhimruk, Khimti, Bhotekoshi Indrawati Syange, Chilime, Piluwa, Sunkoshi etc.
.Until 1990, hydropower development was under the domain of government utility, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) only. However, with the enactment of new Hydropower Development Policy 1992, the sector was opened to the private sector also. There are number of projects already built by the private developers. Private power producers contribute 148 MW of power to the ‘Integrated Nepal Power System'.
Demand and Supply of Electricity:
The demand for electricity is currently around 1200 MW but the production in the rainy season is 750 MW only and in the dry season it is around 450 MW which includes total NEA production from hydro and thermal, purchase from the private sector, and import from India. Of the total availability, NEA supplies 55 per cent (including both hydro and thermal), private sector contributes 27 per cent, and 18 per cent is imported from India.
In addition, the gap between supply and demand of electricity is increasing every year, as the demand is growing with more
“Not a day goes by without a few hours of power cuts. Load shedding has now become a perennial problem and it is here to stay."
The story of power position in Nepal is that of highest potential and lowest consumption. The electricity demand in Nepal is increasing by about 10 percent every year and close to 40 percent of the approximate Nepalese population has access to electricity so far. The main load centre is the central zone which includes the Kathmandu Valley. Nepal owns a number of hydropower plants with average total installed capacity of around 650 MW which includes several small and medium hydropower plants.
The hydropower development in Nepal began with the development of 500 kW Pharping Power Plant in 1911. Some of the other major hydro power plants in Nepal can be listed as: Trishuli, Sunkoshi, Gandaki, Kulekhani II, Marshyangdi, Puwa, Modi, Kaligandaki, Andhikhola, Jhimruk, Khimti, Bhotekoshi Indrawati Syange, Chilime, Piluwa, Sunkoshi etc.
.Until 1990, hydropower development was under the domain of government utility, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) only. However, with the enactment of new Hydropower Development Policy 1992, the sector was opened to the private sector also. There are number of projects already built by the private developers. Private power producers contribute 148 MW of power to the ‘Integrated Nepal Power System'.
Demand and Supply of Electricity:
The demand for electricity is currently around 1200 MW but the production in the rainy season is 750 MW only and in the dry season it is around 450 MW which includes total NEA production from hydro and thermal, purchase from the private sector, and import from India. Of the total availability, NEA supplies 55 per cent (including both hydro and thermal), private sector contributes 27 per cent, and 18 per cent is imported from India.
In addition, the gap between supply and demand of electricity is increasing every year, as the demand is growing with more