NEA sells power worth Rs 11.16 billion

Kathmandu, Dec 20: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has exported one billion 357 million 757 thousand units of electricity to India. The state power utility made an income of Rs 11 billion 163 million from the export of power between June 2 to December 18.     

NEA has sold to India the electricity that is in excess after domestic consumption. It had started selling power in the 'day-ahead market' of the Indian Energy Exchange Limited (IEX) through competition.     

Indian Rs 6 billion 976 million 900 thousand has entered Nepal through power sale as the electricity trade with India is done in the Indian currency. This has also contributed to increasing the country's foreign currency reserves.     

The electricity sale was started in the IEX on a daily basis, considering the 39 megawatts of power generated from two hydroelectricity centres in the beginning. The power generated from six hydroelectricity centres was taken as the source and 364 megawatts of power was sold to the Indian market since June 10 after that.     

NEA got permission to export power from additional two hydroelectricity centres on November 4 and 16. With this, the approved capacity for export to India had reached 408 megawatts, considering the electricity generated from eight hydroelectricity powerhouses as the source.     

NEA had made an income of two billion 838 million 800 thousand rupees through the export of 299 million 100 thousand units of electricity between May 15 to July 16. It earned Rs 8 billion 324 million 240 thousand through the export of one billion 586 million 34 thousand units of power as of December 18 in the current fiscal year.     

NEA executive director Kulman Ghising informed that power export has been stopped now with the decrease in power production from run-of-the-river type projects with the decreased volume of water in the rivers and increasing demand for power across the country, including in Kathmandu with the onset of winter. (RSS)