Kathmandu: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has made an agreement with industries to provide them with electricity if they don't run their industry during the peak hours of energy consumption. As the energy produced gets wasted in the monsoon season, the NEA has decided to provide electricity under the condition that they will not be allowed to run during peak hours and when the distribution line is overloaded to increase energy consumption within a short period.

NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising and industrialists of the Sunsari-Morang Industrial Corridor held discussions in this regard on Thursday. The industrialists have been urged to apply for additional load if needed and get the power supply from the 132 KV transmission line. At present, the industries have been getting their power supply from 11 and 33 KV transmission lines. The tariff for electricity supplied from 132 KV is cheaper than 11 and 33 KV.

"On the one hand, we are not able to supply the required amount of electricity due to non-availability of transmission and distribution system, and on the other hand, we have to waste the electricity generated in the country. There are problems with the line tripping and low voltage" Ghising said. “To solve this issue, adding equipment like two transformers, poles, and conductors will not be enough. “For this, we are moving ahead with the work of improving the network of power transmission and distribution systems in the industrial corridor area,” he said.

Under NEA's short-term plan, the industries demanding electricity will be provided electricity immediately by strengthening the transmission and distribution lines and expanding the capacity and completing the work of the projects under construction as soon as possible. In the long term plan, construction of large capacity lines and substations for transmission and distribution will be started by identifying the potential places for increasing electricity consumption.