KATHMANDU: Due to heightened demand and decreased hydropower production throughout the winter, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has declared that industries will experience power outages during peak hours. NEA explained that the disruptions will not impact household consumers.
River and stream water levels, which are vital for run-of-river hydropower facilities, are predicted to decrease by around one-third over the winter months, according to Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of the NEA. Supply problems have been caused by this drop in addition to limited imports of energy from India during peak hours (5 p.m. to 9 p.m.).
The 456-megawatt Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project's operation was delayed in September due to damage to important structures caused by unrelenting rains, which made the situation worse. Repairs are still being done, and by December 25, Ghising said, manufacturing should restart. It will supply four hours of full capacity power during periods of high demand once it is operational.
India has permitted Nepal to import up to 654 MW of power per day, but only during off-peak hours. Nepal's power supply has been under additional strain as a result of this restriction, especially during times of high demand.
Power supply interruptions were also brought on by recent transmission line damage in industrial areas including Bara, Parsa, and Kailali. Since then, NEA has fixed these lines, limiting the impact on industrial operations and bringing power back to the impacted areas.
The NEA is striving to stabilize the power supply as soon as feasible, Ghising promised, and repair work on the Upper Tamakoshi project is moving quickly. He underlined that sectors will experience short-term difficulties until things settle down.
The NEA's ruling emphasizes the continuous difficulties in balancing the supply and demand for electricity during the winter, with Nepal's energy infrastructure being further taxed by both import restrictions and decreased hydropower generation.
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