The energy gap between the wet and dry season has barred Nepal from becoming self-reliant in it
The state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has traded 1.30 billion units of electricity at a competitive rate in the Indian energy market, earning nearly Rs 8 billion since June. NEA had traded surplus energy worth Rs 3.88 billion in the last fiscal.
NEA has been selling its surplus energy to the Indian Energy Exchange from various hydropower projects that generate excess energy during the rainy season when all power plants run in full capacity. The average price per unit of exported electricity was Rs 7.91, which is far less than what NEA charges for domestic consumption. NEA has been exporting upto 364 MW of electricity to the Indian market produced from six hydropower projects on a daily basis through the 400 kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line at a competitive rate. According to Kulman Ghising, Managing Director of NEA, power is being traded at a competitive rate set by the Indian Energy Exchange, dividing 24 hours into 96 blocks of 15 minutes each. NEA has set a target of earning Rs 16 billion from power export in this fiscal. It means NEA can export energy to India till December. After that, Nepal will need to import energy of upto 500 MW from India to meet the domestic energy demand at a higher rate than the current export rate.
Energy export to India during the summer season has contributed in replenishing the country's foreign exchange reserves, and it has also helped reduce Nepal's trade deficit with India to some extent. However, Nepal has not been able to sell its total surplus energy in the Indian market because of India's reservation on importing energy from some power plants, such as the 456 MW Upper Tamakoshi Hydel Project, which came into full operation last year. Energy ex-change needs to be harmonised without any reservation from both the sides to expedite economic growth of both the countries. Nepal has been unable to sell its total surplus energy in the Indian market because of the selective approach of the southern neighbour, which has been importing Nepal's electricity only at the cost rate.
The discrepancy in energy production between the wet and dry season has hampered Nepal's quest to become self-reliant in the energy sector. In order to bridge this yawning gap, Nepal should build some reservoir projects upto 500 MW so that the energy produced from them can be utilised for domestic use during the dry season.
Not a single reservoir project has come into operation since the commission of the 92 MW Kulekhani Reservoir Project in 1982. The 140 MW Tanahun Reservoir Project should be completed without any further delay. If this project comes into operation within the deadline, Nepal will no longer need to import electricity from India during the dry season.
NEA should also encourage the private sector to build more semi-reservoir projects at select river basins so that the energy produced from them can be used during the dry season when the existing runof-river plants operate at lowest capacity. The energy-mix policy - a combination of solar and hydropower energy - should be well-implemented to meet the domestic needs.
NEA should not remain complacent only about exporting its surplus energy as per its cost rate; it should rather focus on using it in the productive sectors within the country.
Few women in poll
Despite demands for 33 per cent women's representation in all the agencies of the state, the number of women filing their nominations for the first-past-the-post elections being held for the House of Representatives (HoR) and the provincial assemblies next month make up less than 10 per cent of the total. This means that now only the proportional representation system can help secure the required women's representation as provisioned by law. Of the 2,526 nominations filed for the HoR elections, there were only 235 women while 297 women filed their candidacy for the provincial assemblies as against 3,178 males. Of the women candidates, most of them are familiar faces. Baitadi district, with one constituency, saw no woman candidate for the HoR poll.
There could be many reasons why the parties were stingy in doling out tickets to the women. Regardless of all the talk about equality, politics is a dirty game, in which men are likely to excel compared to women.
Barring a few Nordic countries, politics continues to remain a male's domain in any country regardless of the level of development. So women will first have to win the trust of the parties and the people at large before they can claim their share of representation.
A version of this article appears in the print on October 13, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.