Nepal to import additional 90 MW power from India by January-end

KATHMANDU: Nepal, reeling under acute energy shortage, is set to import an additional 90 MW of electricity from India by January-end after the completion of a key inter- country transmission line.

The country is currently facing daily 12-hour load- shedding in its major cities.

Nepal is facing acute shortage of energy in the wake of the blockade of the Indo-Nepal border by Madhesis, largely of Indian-origin. Many people in the urban areas are relying on electricity due to the shortage of cooking gas.

The country at present imports 235 MW of electricity from India.

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the state-owned power utility, has made necessary preparations to import 90 MW of electricity.

The installation of Dhalkebar-Muzzafarpur inter-country transmission line is about to complete in a month and a technical test required for the same is in progress to import power to the country towards the end of this month, said Kanhaiya Lal Manandhar, head of NEA transmission line.

Nepal has signed a power trade agreement with India last year which facilitates the country to import additional power from the southern neighbour.

The import of additional power is expected to ease the current power outage facing the country.

Nepal currently produces around 780 MW electricity though the domestic demand stands at 1,300 MW during peak period.

Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli has during a function in Kathmandu said that the government is working towards ending the power outage within a year and for that, solar power among other alternatives would be explored.

There is a high demand for electricity in Nepal during winters and the country's power projects are producing less electricity during the period due to low water level in the rivers.