KATHMANDU, AUGUST 22

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Nepal Police for the construction and operation of electric vehicle charging stations.

The MoU was signed by Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dhiraj Pratap Singh and Managing Director of NEA Kulman Ghising amid a programme held at Police Headquarters in Naxal today.

According to Ghising, signing the MoU to build charging stations is a milestone, which will gradually reduce the consumption of petroleum products by encouraging the use of electric vehicles.

'It takes about Rs 10 million for the construction of equipment and infrastructure of the charging station. To encourage the use of electric vehicles, a special subsidised rate has been fixed at about five rupees per unit on an average,' he informed. 'The cost to operate a vehicle that runs on fossil fuel per km is between Rs 15 and Rs 20, while the cost of an electric vehicle is very economical at about 60 paisa to one rupee per km.'

Likewise, IGP Singh said that it is a historic opportunity to sign an MoU for the construction of charging stations for the consumption of electricity produced within the country.

As per the agreement, charging stations will be constructed at 25 locations, including five at the Nepal Police Welfare Fund Petrol Pump, and other suitable locations.

The MoU has further stated that the authority will purchase all the equipment and infrastructure of the charging stations at its own expense.

Likewise, NEA will also carry out the maintenance and regular servicing of the equipment, whereas the Nepal police will provide a suitable location for the construction of the infrastructure and will operate and provide security at the charging stations.

The NEA will collect the charging fees paid by the consumers while 50 per cent of the total profit from the electricity tariff rate will be received by Welfare Division of Nepal Police as operating and management expenses of the charging stations.

To encourage the use of electric vehicles, the authority is constructing modern charging stations at 51 locations across the country. Every charging station being built by the authority will be equipped with a 142 kW charger, a 50 kVA transformer for power supply, and an online billing system. Fast charging 60-60 kilowatt DC and 22 kilowatt AC chargers will be placed at the charging stations where three vehicles including big buses can be charged at one time.

The software of the charging stations that can provide service to more than 300 chargers will be placed in the NEA's data centre. All the 50 stations will be controlled from the capital city. Customers will be able to make payments for charging their vehicles using QR code and mobile app.

A version of this article appears in the print on August 23, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.