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The government has appointed Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha as the Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

The appointment was approved by a Cabinet meeting held on Thursday, according to the secretariat of Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, which confirmed the decision to Jalasarokar.

Shrestha had been serving as the Acting Managing Director of the NEA. Prior to that, he was Deputy Executive Director of the Authority’s Distribution and Consumer Services Directorate.

He has spent nearly three decades in the NEA, holding various technical and managerial positions. Shrestha joined the Authority in 1997 as a seventh-level officer and has since built extensive experience in Nepal’s power sector.

He holds a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering and a master’s degree in Information and Communication Engineering.

After the removal of then Managing Director Hitendra Dev Shakya on May 6, 2026, Shrestha was entrusted with the responsibilities of Acting Managing Director. On May 13, 2026, the NEA Board of Directors appointed him as Acting Managing Director on a continuing basis.

Since taking over the Authority’s leadership, Shrestha has overseen regular operations related to electricity generation, transmission and distribution. In recent weeks, one of the NEA’s major priorities has been restoring energy infrastructure damaged by floods in the Bhotekoshi–Trishuli river system, managing electricity supply and supporting the reconstruction of affected hydropower projects.

With the Cabinet’s latest decision, Shrestha will now serve as the permanent Managing Director of the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Jalasarokar had previously published a news analysis highlighting Shrestha’s long experience within the Authority and the institutional leadership skills he developed through his involvement in projects including Kulekhani.