Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has extended the deadline for industries that used electricity via dedicated feeders and trunk lines to apply for administrative review until the end of Jestha (mid-June).

In a newly issued public notice, NEA stated that customers with outstanding electricity dues can submit applications for administrative review by the deadline, in accordance with Sub-Regulation 2 of Regulation 55 of the NEA Electricity Distribution Bylaws 2078.

To be eligible, applicants must deposit either 5 percent of the billed amount in cash or provide a class ‘A’ bank guarantee of equivalent value with a one-year validity. This is required to proceed with the review process under Sub-Regulation 1 of the same provision.

This decision follows NEA's board meeting on May 4.

This opportunity applies to industrial consumers who used electricity from NEA’s dedicated feeders or trunk lines between mid-January 2016 and mid-May 2018 and have unpaid dues from that period.

A long-standing dispute over approximately Rs 8 billion in unpaid dues has persisted between industrialists and NEA. Of this, NEA has calculated around Rs 6.43 billion in unpaid tariffs, with an additional 25 percent penalty bringing the total to approximately Rs 8.04 billion.