Kathmandu: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is all set to bring into operation 50 charging stations of electric vehicles (EVs) in the next six months.

According to NEA, it has already signed an agreement to purchase charger devices and has identified the locations to install the infrastructures. “We have speeded up construction of the transmission line to supply electricity to the specified locations,” said Suresh Bahadur Bhattarai, spokesperson for NEA.

NEA has awarded the contract to install 50 charging stations to a Chinese company. Of the total number, the NEA has planned to install 20 charging stations in the Kathmandu Valley while among the rest, five each will be located in six provinces.

These charging stations will be installed along the East-west Highway, Prithvi Highway, BP Highway and Madan-Bhandari Highway. A total investment of Rs 400 million has been earmarked for the construction of 50 charging stations.

According to the NEA, each charging station will be equipped with 200 KW power transformers. At the stations concerned, a car can be recharged in 30 minutes while a bus will take an hour to be recharged fully.

Charging stations are considered the most prominent infrastructure for the promotion of EVs, the import of which has been increasing fast recently. The government has also been shifting its priority to promote EVs targeting to minimize the upsurging air pollution and reduce the soaring import of petroleum products at a time when the country has notable production of hydroelectricity.