Electricity can be imported from 6 am to 5 pm and from 2 pm to 6 am
15 hours of electricity will be imported from India every day. Electricity will be imported from Friday from 6 am to 5 pm (solar hour) and from 2 pm to 6 am, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority.
India has given permission to import 600 MW of electricity for 15 hours a day from the 400 KV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line. Since March 15, the authority has been importing electricity for 16 hours every day from 6 am to 5 pm and from 11 pm to 4 am.
Acknowledging that the time to import electricity from India was reduced by one hour, Hitendradev Shakya, the executive director of the authority, thanked them for allowing them to import electricity until next June. "Electricity supply from India has been extended for two months till May and June when we are short," he said. Our river flows are increasing. It also increases domestic production.
Until Thursday, electricity could be imported for 16 hours a day. He says that now electricity can be imported only for 15 hours. He said that flow in the country's rivers has increased and domestic production is also increasing. Sakya said that since imported electricity and domestic production are increasing, the power cuts in the industrial sector will decrease.
54 MW electricity is being imported from India through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar transmission line. India had 20 hours a day until March 2 when it allowed import of electricity in winter last November. Import was allowed only during solar hours (6 am to 6 pm) from last Chait 3. Nepal has been purchasing electricity through competition in the day-ahead and real-time markets of India's Indian Energy Exchange Limited (IEX).
According to this, 'bidding' is done with the price and quantity the day before the purchase. 350 MW electricity can be imported from Nepal-India Power Exchange Committee (PEC). But now only 200 megawatts are being imported, said Shakya. Shakya said that due to rising temperature, Indian Premier League (IPL) and elections in Bihar, the demand for electricity in India is increasing, he is only providing electricity on a proportional basis.
The Authority says that it is working with priority on regular and reliable electricity availability in the industrial sector.
As per the demand of the industrial sector, there is an attempt to import power from India at the maximum price until domestic production can provide it.
Nepal's domestic production alone is not enough to supply electricity as per the demand, the Authority has said that India has allowed electricity to be imported until next June. According to the statement issued by the secretariat of the Authority, the work is being done with the highest priority for regular and reliable power availability in the industrial sector. "Until the power supply which is reduced according to the demand of the industrial sector cannot be provided by the domestic production, an attempt has been made to import from India even at the maximum price. This will also solve the problems faced by industrial customers," the statement said.
