Kathmandu — The Electricity Authority will be allowed to import electricity from India for an additional 4 hours. Previously importing electricity for 12 hours daily, the authority will now be able to import for up to 16 hours starting Friday.
The newly appointed Managing Director of the Authority, Hitendra Dev Shakya, informed that India agreed to extend the electricity import hours following Nepal’s request. “Previously, electricity could be imported from 6 AM to 6 PM. Now, it can be imported from 6 AM to 5 PM and again from 11 PM to 4 AM,” he said. “Along with the extended hours, the quantity of electricity that can be imported has also increased.”
India has granted permission to import a total of 654 MW of electricity—600 MW from the 400 kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur transmission line and 54 MW from the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar transmission line. The Electricity Authority has been importing electricity from India to meet domestic demand as electricity production decreases during winter. Last December, when India approved electricity imports for the winter, it allowed imports for 20 hours a day until March 15. From March 16 to June 30, imports were permitted only during solar hours (6 AM to 6 PM). Since March 16, the Electricity Authority has been importing electricity for 12 hours daily.
Nepal has been purchasing electricity through competitive bidding in the Day-Ahead and Real-Time markets of the Indian Energy Exchange Limited (IEX). Under this system, bidding takes place a day in advance, specifying the price and quantity of electricity to be purchased.
So far, Nepal has been importing up to 550 MW of electricity during the daytime from IEX. Additionally, Nepal has also been importing electricity through the Nepal-India Power Exchange Committee (PEC). Although PEC allows the import of up to 350 MW, Nepal has been importing only 200 MW.
Although we are allowed to import 350 MW through PEC, India is not providing the full amount,” said Shakya. “India only supplies electricity to us when it does not need it.”
With the approval to import electricity at night as well, he claimed that load-shedding in the Biratnagar and Bhairahawa industrial corridors would end starting Friday. “Except during peak hours when demand is high, there will no longer be load-shedding in industrial areas,” he stated.
He also informed that the process to import an additional 230 MW of electricity from India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) has been initiated.
“A deal was made last October to import 230 MW, but since there was no follow-up, India sold that electricity to others, and the agreement was canceled,” he said. “We have now requested bids from NVVN. It is important to see the cost.”
He further stated that if the ongoing electricity procurement process is completed, load-shedding in industrial areas could be limited to just 2-3 hours.
Source: Kantipur
