For the first time in the country, Nepal Electricity Authority ( NEA) has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) to buy solar energy.
The deal with the Kathmandu Valley Drinking Water Management Board on Friday follows a decision of the government to tackle the existing power crisis.
According to the PPA, solar power generated from Sundarighat in Lalitpur will be purchased by the NEA . As per the PPA, the NEA will pay Rs 5.10 for one unit of energy. The board has set up a solar energy plant under a Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) grant of Rs 1 billion. The plant started generating energy two months ago.
The head of the power trade division at the NEA , Sher Singh Bhat, and member of the board Gautam Prasad Shrestha signed the agreement amid a programme here.
“This is the first time that the NEA will be installing solar energy in the national grid line,” Bhat said. He added that preparations to link the solar energy to the national grid are in the final stages. “The solar power will be added to the national grid within around 20 days.”
According to the board’s estimation, the solar power plant can generate 618,869 units a year through its 3,250 panels. The plant sprawls across 12 ropanis of land.
Source : The Kathmandu Post
