Power Woes!!!

"Today I woke up early. I had many works to be done and plans to be made. But Ahhh!!! No electricity. Damn it's load shedding."

Load shedding has become our destiny. From January 7, 2007 it has gone up to 8 hours a week per household from 2.5 hours a week previously. Even the worst is in the area from Hetauda to Birjung where load shedding would be imposed for 3 hours everyday. After a month it is expected to go up to 40 hours a week. Currently Nepal needs 640 MW of power but the irony is Nepal can produce mere 440 MW power in its peak time i.e. rainy season. Nepal's power production is based on run-of-river projects and in winter, due to decrease in water level, power production capacity declines by almost half. On January 6, 2007 power production declines to 230 MW nearly tri-fold less than demand. It is expected that soon power production would plunge to mere 185 MW.

According to NEA figure, 20 % of total population in 72 districts have access to electricity. Currently there are no any big projects going on except Mid-Marshyandi Hydro Power with capacity of 69 MW. And it has also it's own woes. It has already been delayed for 3 years than expected. It's cost has increased by three fold than evaluated and still it is not showing any signs to complete.

NEA has plans to buy power from India and are in procedure to make deal. But currently only 23 MW of energy can be bought because of its own problems.

Nepal is considered as second richest country of the world in terms of water. Nepal's power production is estimated to be 83000 MW out of which 43000 MW is possible.

The most irony is, so called watery-rich Nepalis are those unlucky people who haven't reach to electricity and safe drinking water. And if sooner no plans are formulated, load shedding would be problem of coming generations also.