May 28, 2019
More than 410 km of power lines were added to the country’s electricity transmission network in the first eight months of the current fiscal year, bringing the total length of power lines to 3,900 km, said the Economic Survey unveiled on Monday.
The survey said that another 3,675 km of power lines—2,515 km of 132 kV capacity and 1,160 km of 220 kV capacity—were currently under construction.
This fiscal year, a 45-km-long 220 kV double circuit Trishuli-Kathmandu transmission line and a 43-km-long 132 kV Soyak-Panchthar transmission line came into operation. Most of the transmission lines were upgraded from single circuit to double circuit.The construction of major transmission lines, like the 132 kV Thankot-Chapagaun, 220 kV Bharatpur-Bardaghat, 132 kV Kabeli Corridor (Phidim-Amarpur) and 400 kV Tamakoshi-Kathmandu, has stalled due to land compensation and forest clearance issues and delays by contractors.
Several power line and distribution projects worth Rs45 billion remain to be executed in the next fiscal year, Energy Ministry officials said. “We have accorded high priority to the construction of transmission corridors for optimal evacuation of power for domestic consumption in line with the Ujyalo Nepal Campaign and for export,” said Prabin Raj Aryal, spokesperson for the ministry.
The Nepal Electricity Authority built 19 grids, 8,000 km of power lines including distribution lines and 20 distribution sub-stations this fiscal year.
The power utility will require a budget allocation of Rs60 billion in the next fiscal year to undertake key transmission corridor projects in eastern and central Nepal. A majority of private power projects are nearing completion in these areas, Energy Ministry officials said.
Electricity generation has reached 1,142 MW as of date. According to the Economic Survey, hydropower plants generated 1,029.8 MW, thermal plants churned out 53.40 MW, solar projects produced 27 MW and small and medium hydel plants accounted for 32 MW.
The state-owned power utility accounted for 561 MW, private producers 522 MW and the alternative energy sector accounted for 59 MW of the electricity produced in the country, the survey said.
Gandaki Province recorded the highest output with a slew of power plants producing 481.20 MW while Province 2 has not been able to generate a single unit of power.
Around 71 MW of electricity was added to the national grid in the first eight months of the fiscal year, but output is slated to double in the next fiscal year as 43 power projects including Upper Tamakoshi (456 MW), Rasuwagadhi (111 MW) and Lower Solu (82 MW) are on track to feed another 1,264 MW into the national grid. The expected increase in energy generation is more than the current production of 1,142 MW.
The survey also revealed that energy imports from India declined by 30 percent from 2,581 GWh in the first eight months of the last fiscal year to 1,834.89 GWh this fiscal year. The state-owned power utility was also able to bring down the demand-supply gap from 463.57 MW to just 20 MW in the review period.
TOTAL INSTALLED CAPACITY
Region Installed Capacity (MW)
Province 1 162.29
Province 2 —
Province 3 362.21
Gandaki 481.20
Province 5 21.17
Karnali 7.16
Sudurpaschim 40.1
MAJOR UPCOMING PROJECTS
Projects Capacity (MW)
Upper Tamakoshi 456
Rasuwagadhi 111
Khanikhola-1 40
Mistry Khola 42
Sanjen 42.5
Khani Khola 30
Lower Solu 82
Upper Balefi A 36
(Source: Economic Survey)
Source: The Kathmandu Post
