Govt aims to lower power leakage to 17 per cent

KATHMANDU: The government has planned to limit power leakage to around 17 per cent within three years.

As per the Mid-Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) recently prepared by the National Planning Commission (NPC), the target is set to slash electric power leakage to a lower point. NPC has envisaged bringing down power leakage to 16.9 per cent by the fiscal year 2020/21.

At present, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) estimates power leakage at around 20.45 per cent.

According to NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising power leakage was observed at 22.90 per cent in the fiscal year 2016/17.

The government has planned to attain country's sustainable development and prosperity and lasting economic advancement through rapid hydropower development. In this backdrop, authorities have intensified efforts to slash power leakage.

Moreover, the government has also set a target to construct power transmission line with the capacity of 6,649-km by the fiscal year 2020/21. Likewise, authorities plan to increase electricity access to 85 per cent of the total population through the National Electricity Grid.