The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has arranged alternative sources of electricity for flood-hit areas of Rasuwa, where power supply has been disrupted following extensive damage to electricity infrastructure.
Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha has mobilised mechanisms under the ministry to arrange alternative power supplies in Rasuwa, Nuwakot and Dhading after 12 hydropower projects were damaged by the floods, halting electricity generation of 431.1 megawatts.
In coordination with the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, the ministry is preparing to send 500 solar power banks to the affected areas on Thursday.
The ministry is handing over the solar power banks to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, headed by the Prime Minister, for distribution to the flood-affected areas.
Sanjeev Maharjan, Chief Personal Secretary to Energy Minister Shrestha, said immediate restoration of electricity in Rasuwa was not possible as a substation had been washed away by the flood.
“The substation in Rasuwa has been swept away, so electricity cannot be restored immediately. Therefore, we are sending solar power banks to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority so that people can use them as an alternative source of lighting and to charge mobile phones,” he said.
According to the ministry, the 220 kV Trishuli 3B Hub Substation has been completely damaged, while six transmission lines have been disrupted.
With damage to hydropower projects and transmission lines bringing around 10 per cent of the country’s total electricity generation capacity—431.1 MW—offline, Minister Shrestha is also taking stock of the pressure on the power supply system.
For this, Minister Shrestha is scheduled to inspect the Load Dispatch Centre (LDC) at Syuchatar today.
Minister Shrestha is visiting the LDC at Syuchatar today to assess the post-flood electricity supply situation, identify where and to what extent the floods have affected power supply across the country, and obtain an update on the situation,” Maharjan said.
TRN