The temperature has gone done significantly in early November this year and water froze at high altitude resulting in the fall of water level in rivers. That has directly hit electricity generation.
Kali Gandaki A generated 22 MW less in the third week of November this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year, according to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA). The 144 MW project is operated in the evening peak hours collecting water throughout the day. Mid Marshyangdi (70 MW) is also generating 8 MW less, and Lower Marshyangdi (69 MW) 10 MW less this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year.
Hydropower projects across the country in this way generated 45 MW less in the third week of November this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year. Demand for electricity, on the other hand, had started to rise even before the fall in water level.
A total of 1444 MW was enough for lights during Laxmi Puja last year while it consumed 1508 MW this year despite the festival falling almost two weeks earlier this year.
The NEA has projected that demand for electricity this winter will rise by 145 MW. It was 1325 MW during January and February last winter and is projected to rise to 1470 MW this winter. “This conservative projection considers that consumers will cooperate and not unnecessarily use electricity,” NEA Spokesperson Prabal Adhikari said. “The demand can rise further if the consumers are not frugal in use of electricity,” he added.
The NEA aims to not impose load-shedding this winter despite the rise in demand. The NEA had ended load-shedding in Kathmandu and the surrounding areas from Laxmi Puja last year and had later ended that in Pokhara, Biratnagar and other cities.
The NEA will have to depend on India more this year despite addition of 60 MW from private projects. The NEA, that had imported 385 MW last winter, is preparing to import additional 85 MW from India this winter, according to spokesperson Adhikari.
The NEA will import 50 MW each from recently completed Kataiya-Kushaha and Raxaul-Parwanipur transmission lines, 35 MW each from Tanakpur-Mahendranagar and Surajpura-Gandak, 130 MW each from Dhalkebar-Mujaffarpur and old Kataiya-Kushaha, and 40 MW from other small transmission lines.
It is currently importing 307 MW. The government-owned projects currently are generating 350 MW and private projects 283 MW.
“We are working in a way to not impose load-shedding this winter by importing 470 MW from India,” Adhikari stated. “There will still be shortage of around 300 MW during peak hours. Industries may face daily power cuts of 3-5 hours to balance that deficit,” he added.
Industrial areas had faced power cuts in the morning and evening even last winter.
He stated that it will be a little easier to manage demand once the electricity from 30 MW Chameliya project is added to the national grid by January end.
