Power consumption triples after end of load shedding: Authority

In the last financial year, 4 billion 31 million units of electricity were consumed by households and 3.69 billion units by industrial customers. The rest of the electricity was consumed by customers of other groups. According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, energy consumption per capita reached 400 units in the last financial year, which was 131 units eight years ago.

Eight years ago there was 8 hours of daily load shedding even during the rainy season. It was predicted that load shedding would be required for 14 hours a day in winter. From October 2013, load shedding of the domestic customers of major cities of the country and then industrial customers was ended gradually through Kathmandu Valley. From 075 Baisakh, the entire country was declared load-shedding free.

Eight years ago, only 58 percent of households had access to electricity. According to the authority, electricity has now reached 99 percent. 97 percent of the households that have access to electricity are consuming electricity from the national grid and 2 percent from small hydropower, solar energy, etc. that are outside the grid. Eight years ago, electricity customers were about 300,000, but now they have reached 5935,000, including community ones. Kulman Ghisingh, the executive director of the authority, said that after the end of load-shedding, electricity consumption has increased after the continuous supply of electricity. Large and small industries are receiving continuous electricity supply, during this period, the load of industries has been accepted, the use of electrical appliances for household purposes including cooking has increased, the use of electric vehicles in private and public transport is increasing, electrification has been done extensively, due to which internal Electricity consumption is increasing,' he said.

Ghising says that with the increase in electricity demand every year, the challenge in electricity supply has increased. He said that major cities of the country have been divided into 11 clusters to provide reliable, quality and safe electricity to consumers by solving such challenges and problems. Ghising also said that the master plan of the transmission and distribution structure that can supply the demand till 2050 has been prepared and gradually implemented.

He mentioned that work is being done to increase the consumption of electricity internally, reduce imports by increasing production and increase exports. Electricity consumption which was 3 billion 72 million units in 072/73 increased by 28.47 points to 4 billion 77 million units in 073/74. Electricity consumption in 074/075 was 5.56 billion units, in 075/76 it was 6.30 billion units, in 076/77 it was 6.42 billion units and in 077/78 it was 7.28 billion units.

8 billion 84 crores in 078/79, 9 billion 35 crores in 079/80 and 10.2 billion units of electricity were consumed in 080/81. Compared to 079/80, electricity consumption in 080/81 increased by about 10 percent. In the last financial year, the peak demand (time of high demand for electricity) increased by 11.34 percentage points compared to the previous financial year 079/80. The highest electricity demand in the country was recorded on June 16 of the last financial year. On that day, the peak demand reached 2 thousand 212 megawatts.

Even though electricity is exported to India for 6 months of the rainy season, in winter, the electricity production of the river-flowing hydropower projects decreases, and electricity has to be imported to meet domestic demand for a few months. But the amount of energy imported into the system is decreasing. In the last financial year, the share of imported energy in the system is 14.68 percent, which is 8.57 percentage points less than the previous financial year. Electricity export has increased by 44 percentage points.