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The major power plants of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) generated more electricity than their assigned production target in fiscal year 2025/26, while the medium-sized power plants failed to meet their target. Projects under the Major Generation Operation and Maintenance Department generated 0.08 percent more than their target, whereas those under the Medium Generation Operation and Maintenance Department produced 7.4 percent less than the target.

According to an NEA report, the major power plants had been assigned a production target of 2,394 gigawatt-hours (GWh) for FY 2025/26. Actual generation reached 2,395.98 GWh. Thus, the major power plants generated approximately 1.98 GWh more than their target.

Medium Power Plants Fall 29.35 GWh Short of Target

Projects under the Medium Generation Operation and Maintenance Department had been assigned a production target of 397.1 GWh. However, actual generation was limited to 367.75 GWh.

In other words, medium-sized power plants generated 29.35 GWh less than their target, representing a shortfall of approximately 7.4 percent.

This shows that the performance of generation plants under the same authority was not uniform. Although the major power plants exceeded their overall target, the lower output from medium-sized plants brought the combined generation of the two groups below the overall target.

Combined Generation Target Also Missed

When the major and medium-sized power plants are considered together, the total production target for FY 2025/26, was 2,791.1 GWh. Actual generation stood at 2,763.73 GWh.

This means combined generation fell 27.37 GWh short of the target. Overall achievement was approximately 99 percent of the target. Thus, although the major power plants exceeded their target, the shortfall from medium-sized plants prevented the overall production target from being achieved.

Why the Performance of Major Projects Matters

There are seven projects under the Major Generation Operation and Maintenance Department, with a combined installed capacity of 465 MW. These projects generated 2,395.98 GWh.

These projects make a substantial contribution to the NEA’s own generation. Of the combined 2,763.73 GWh generated by the major and medium-sized projects, major projects accounted for approximately 86.7 percent. Therefore, meeting or exceeding production targets at major projects is particularly important for the NEA’s overall own generation.

Some Projects Well Ahead of Their Targets

Among the major and medium-sized generation plants, some projects performed significantly better than the overall average. According to the report:

Upper Trishuli–3A - 106.38 percent of target

Marsyangdi - 104.38 percent

Middle Marsyangdi - 101.92 percent

Puwa Khola - 105.38 percent

Sunkoshi - 104.06 percent

Seti - 102.27 percent

This shows that there were significant differences among projects in terms of their ability to meet production targets.

The Issue Is Not Just About Production Targets

Whether NEA power plants met their targets should not be viewed solely in terms of production figures. It also needs to be assessed in relation to the plants’ operating conditions, water availability, maintenance, and the impact of seasonal variations in generation.

Particularly given the significant difference between wet-season and dry-season generation at NEA’s own projects, the reasons why individual plants failed to meet their targets need to be analyzed separately.

The data for FY 2025/26, however, presents a clear picture: NEA’s major power plants sustained the overall production target, but the weaker performance of medium-sized power plants affected total generation.

Jalasarokar