Energy Minister pledges to recover outstanding tariffs of dedicated feeder and trunk line

Kathmandu, Aug 27: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has committed to collect outstanding electricity tariffs related to dedicated feeder and trunk line based on the duration of their usage.     

Responding to the queries raised by parliamentarians in today's meeting of the House of Representatives, Minister Khadka clarified that the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) was responsible to provide with the evidences regarding these lines.     

It may be noted that such dedicated feeder and trunk line was adopted and implemented by the NEA to provide uninterrupted supply of electricity to certain private industries, public facilities and offices during the peak load-shedding hours in between 2016 to 2018 charging the beneficiaries additional up to 65 per cent premium fee.     

Khadka also presented the fact that NEA had issued a premium fee bill covering from the period of January 2016 to April 2018 after the report of the Lal Commission was unveiled.     

According to him, deliberations on collecting the outstanding fees for dedicated feeder and trunk line was underway in the parliamentary Public Accounts Committee at present and thus, he added, the government was awaiting the decision of the Committee on the same.     

Regarding the queries raised on the 1,200 megawatt-Budhi Gandaki hydro power project, the Minister informed the House that the Budhi Gandaki hydro power project was officially registered on September 2, 2022.     

He further appraised, "So far, Rs 42.65 billion has been distributed in compensation to the affected ones of the Project while the Detailed Project Report and Environment Assessment Report of the Project have been approved."     

According to him, the estimated cost of the project is Rs 777 billion and most of the technical issues have been resolved.     

He shared that diplomatic efforts were underway with India through talks and discussions to negotiate an agreement on the Project that aligns with Nepal's interest and project's principles.(RSS)