NEA adds 1.5MW solar power to national grid

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June 05, 2020

Kathmandu:Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has added 1.25 megawatts of electricity generated by the solar project in Nuwakot to the national grid system. With this latest development, the 25 MW project has formally come into operation from today.

The electricity generated by the solar project has been connected to the substation at Devighat Power House in Trishuli of Nuwakot district.

The generated electricity is directly connected to the national transmission line through a solar panel. As there is no battery, electricity will be generated from the solar plant only when the sun is shining.

It is the largest solar project in Nepal.

Kul Man Ghising, managing director of NEA, said that 10 megawatts will be connected to the grid within a month and-a-half.

The remaining works are being done but construction is expected to take some time as the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report is in the process of approval, he said.“Work was underway to connect 15 megawatts to the national grid in April this year but related construction work was delayed due to the coronavirus outbreak and subsequent lockdown,” Ghising said. “With the addition of electricity generated from this solar project, the energy mix is increasing in Nepal’s power system with the diversification of various energy sources,” he added.

The government has implemented the production blending ratio of power projects based on the target of 15,000 MW to be generated in the next 10 years with the objective of becoming self-reliant in electricity from domestic production in the long run. The target for energy mix is as follows: reservoir and pump storage (30 to 35 per cent), peaking run-of-the-river (25 to 30 per cent), run-of-the-river (30 to 35 per cent) and other alternative sources (five to 10 per cent).

Solar panels capable of generating 10MW of electricity have been installed on vacant land near the staff quarters of the Devighat Power House and panels of 5MW power each have been set up at three places near the power house.

A single solar panel will generate 275 watts of electricity and 20 ropanis of land has been used to generate one megawatt of power from solar.

A new 66-33 kVA substation is also being constructed near Devighat Power House for the connection of electricity generated from the solar project.

The solar project chief Bikash Bahadur Raghubanshi informed that the construction of the substation will take some time. He said that the equipment of the substation are being delivered to the construction site at the moment but the construction of civil structures is in full swing.

The solar plant is being constructed with assistance worth $37 million in soft loan from the World Bank.

In February 2015, the World Bank had agreed to provide $130 million to NEA to build solar stations to supply electricity in Kathmandu valley.

Out of that amount, $37 million was separated for the installation of solar plants in Nuwakot district.

The power utility has said that this will help maintain the load management in the country, and especially in Kathmandu valley. The power generated through the solar power plant will be utilised to supply electricity to the valley during peak hours.

 

Source: The Himalayan Times