Kathmandu: Owners of electric vehicles (EVs) can now keep additional electric equipment to charge their vehicles at their home or office as Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has now decided to allow people concerned to upgrade electricity supply for the purpose.

By enforcing the Electricity Distribution Bylaw 2022, the state-owned power utility has allowed the EVs owners to install separate units in their residences to charge their vehicles. The provision has come into effect after the NEA board meeting held two weeks ago approved the bylaw.

NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising said the government enterprise in its effort to increase domestic consumption of electricity has come up with the provision. “The new rule is expected to increase electricity consumption along with ensuring quality service,” he said.

The bylaw has provisions to promote infrastructures related to EVs charging. Apart from individual residents, the authority will now be permitting any private organization to install the charging stations within office premises and public places. NEA will be providing the service providers with the transformers to install the charging station with capacity of 200 kVA.

The bylaw has also provisioned to facilitate electricity supply to milk chilling vat and community run drinking water and irrigation services. NEA will purchase the transformers of up to 100 kVA while the community will have to bear the cost if the capacity is more than 100 kVA.

Similarly, the tenants have been allowed to take separate electricity meters for their use. If any house owner is found charging exorbitant amounts from the tenants, NEA is authorized to cut electricity supply line of such house owner.