Nepal, India agree to reinforce power infrastructure

Dec. 15, 2011 - AKANSHYA SHAH - myrepublica.com

NEW DELHI, Dec 15: Following the power supply understanding at the highest level, Nepal and India have agreed to immediately reinforce the existing infrastructure and complete all the required maintenance work for power supply from India to Nepal.

The decision was made at the ongoing tenth meeting of the bilateral Power Exchange Committee (PEC) in New Delhi on Wednesday. This, however, will bring no relief to the power crisis in Nepal anytime soon as the infrastructure reinforcement will take at least another six months.

“Some work may be completed. But we cannot say how much power will be exported to Nepal immediately,” Sher Singh Bhatt, a member of the Nepali delegation and chief of power trade department of Nepal Electricity Authority told Republica after the end of the first day of PEC.

As per the joint-communiqué issued at the end of Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai´s visit to India in October, Nepal has requested India for an additional 200 MW power supply to meet its energy demand.

The secretary-level meeting of the Joint Committee on Water Resources (JCWR) held in November in New Delhi had also directed PEC to take up the issue. Earlier, a meeting of technical experts of both countries was held on November 20-21 in Kathmandu.

• Govt to import 100MW from India by mid-Jan

Although the PEC talks is yet to finalize the technical details to pave the way for import of additional power from India to Nepal, experts from both the countries have said that “work will start immediately” to supply at least 100 MW power from India to Nepal. Experts, however, have not worked out the earliest date for import of power yet.

Bhatt said although the target is to bring 100 MW within three to four months, it will be contingent upon the completion of necessary work. “Our short-term plan is to import 100 MW within three to four months and another 150 MW within a year, which is the mid-term plan,” Bhatt said. He added that reinforcement at all existing key points will begin at once.

Significantly, the two neighbors have agreed to finalize the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the construction of 15 km transmission line TL in 132 KV Kataiya - Kushaha double circuit and 17 km TL in 132 KV Raxaul- Parwanipur single circuit as part of the mid-term plan, Nepali delegation officials told Republica.

In addition, the two sides also signed the Transmission Service Agreement (TSA) and Power Sales Agreement targeted at the export of 150 MW in 25 years.

An 11-member Nepali delegation led by Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Rameshwar Yadav, is holding the two-day talks in New Delhi. The 20-member Indian side has pulled representatives from UP, Bihar, Power Trade Corporation, Power Grid, IL&FS, among others.