The per-unit rate for import and export of electricity set by the 16th meeting of the PEC has not been approved by the Authority's Board of Directors (Board) and the Regulatory Commission.
Nepal Electricity Authority has paid Rs 80 million to India for electricity imported through the Nepal-India Power Exchange Committee (PEC).
While the per-unit rate of electricity import and export fixed by the 16th meeting of the PEC has not been approved by the NEA's board of directors and the Regulatory Commission has not even approved it.
According to the NEA source, the tariff for electricity imported through the PEC has been paid at Rs 80 million and about Rs 190 million is in the process.
A meeting held in India on Magh 30, 2081 had fixed the per-unit rate of electricity imported and exported through the 132 kV transmission line at Rs 8.1 (Rs 12 96 paisa).
Secretary and spokesperson of the Electricity Regulatory Commission, Manadevi Shrestha, said that the NEA had sent a letter to approve the price of electricity agreed upon through the PEC for some time, but it has not been approved. 'Some time ago, a letter was received to approve the price of import and export,' she said, 'We wrote a letter to the NEA asking it to send a letter decided by the NEA's board of directors. Nothing has happened since then.'
The NEA's The rate was fixed by a meeting co-chaired by the then Executive Director Kulman Ghising and Ashok Kumar Rajput, Member, Electricity System, Central Electricity Authority of India. The Nepal Electricity Authority has stated that the price of electricity exchange through 132 kV transmission lines has been fixed at 8.1 rupees (12 rupees 96 paisa) per unit in 2025. The price of electricity exchange through 132 kV transmission lines in 2024 was 7.98 rupees (12 rupees 77 paisa).
The meeting has also fixed the price of electricity exchange through 33 kV transmission lines at 8.78 rupees (14 rupees 04 paisa) per unit. The price of electricity exchange through 33 kV transmission lines in 2024 was 8.65 rupees (13 rupees 84 paisa) per unit. Nepal has set a unit rate of 9.41 rupees (15.05 rupees) for electricity imported and exported through the 11 kV transmission line.
Authority spokesperson Rajan Dhakal said that the payment was made as per the opinion of the Attorney General's Office. 'The Authority's board of directors had decided to take the PEC agreement into consideration and seek the opinion of the Attorney General's Office through the Ministry of Energy on whether the agreement can be implemented,' he said. 'The Attorney General gave his opinion that it is between the two countries and should be implemented after it is signed.'
The ministry also gave its opinion to implement the PEC agreement as per the opinion of the Attorney General's Office, so the Authority paid the electricity tariff, he said. Energy Minister Deepak Khadka had sought a 24-hour explanation at the PEC meeting on 13 Falgun 2081 as to which body's approval was sought.
Minister Khadka also asked, 'How did the Government of Nepal get the authority to sign the memorandum of understanding prepared through bilateral negotiations to increase the financial liability without seeking the consent of the ministry as per the subject numbers 20 and 23 of the Schedule of the Government of Nepal (Work Performance) Regulations, 2064?'
On Chaitra 11, 2081, the Council of Ministers meeting dismissed Ghising from the post of Executive Director of the Authority. Stating that taking action since the person who was going to enter into the agreement did not take the authority is another matter, the Authority has stated that the Attorney General has cleared the way for the implementation of the agreement.
