June 20: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has said that there have been problems in the electricity supply in some parts of the country due to malfunction in the system, but due to tireless efforts, all those problems have been solved.

Kulman Ghising, executive director of the NEA informed that although it is natural to have problems in the system during the rainy season, some districts of central and western Nepal have seen unnatural problems.

He said that due to the increase in heat throughout the country last week, the demand for electricity increased, but some complications have arisen in the system and efforts have been made to solve those problems.

In a press conference organized by the NEA on Monday, Ghising said, "The problem is also increasing due to the delay in construction of transmission line, distribution system and substation. The authority alone cannot do everything to solve it. Everyone's support and cooperation is necessary."

Stating that the obstruction of the local people in the construction of the transmission line is the most complicated, he complained that even the decision made by the Council of Ministers was not implemented by the Ministry of Forests and Environment and its subordinate agencies.

Similarly, executive director Ghising said that although the cabinet has approved the land use and cutting of trees on the Hetauda-Bardghat-New Butwal transmission line, the Ministry of Forest has not yet made a decision.

He said that due to the obstructions in the construction of the Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Inruwa and the Hetaunda-Bardghat-New Butwal transmission lines, the electricity from the east could not be supplied to West Nepal. At present, only a 132 kV capacity transmission line is in operation in that area.

The construction of the Hetauda-Dhalkebar-Inaruwa transmission line of 400 KV capacity under construction has been obstructed by the local people and the forest.

He said that due to the incessant rains in Eastern Nepal since Saturday evening, almost 100 megawatts of the Kabeli Corridor could not be connected to the national grid. He said  that even though the authority is trying to increase internal consumption, there is an obligation to sell the excess electricity during the rainy season.

At present, the total electricity generation capacity of Nepal is 2700 megawatts, but only 2000 megawatts of electricity is available in the system. He said that even though there is an increase in demand for electricity in the evening and in the summer time, there is a situation where electricity is wasted at night, so electricity has been exported to India to manage it.

He also dismissed the accusation made against the NEA that it was exporting electricity to India by cutting the domestic supply. He made it clear that NEA has been selling only surplus electricity to India.

"It was also found that unnecessary comments were made that electricity was sold to India by cutting supply within the country. We are exporting electricity because it is done so that we can sell electricity rather than waste it.”