“Load-shedding has been increased to 98 hours per week,” Bhuwan Kumar Chhetri, chief of NEA´s System Operation Department, told Republica. [break]
India had slashed power supply via Birgunj, Janakpur, Rajbiraj and Hetauda last week without giving prior information to NEA. The fresh reduction means India is exporting only 90 MW to Nepal.
“India has not communicated with us regarding power cut. They have verbally told us that their system needs to be improved,” Rameshwore Yadav, managing director of NEA, said. "We had to revise load-shedding schedule as we are getting less power from India.”
India reduced power supply to Nepal a few weeks after it expressed commitment to export additional 55 MW during the visit of President Dr Ram Baran Yadav in the last week of December.
In line with the Indian commitments, a team of NEA officials had visited India last week to fix logistic requirements for the import of additional 55 MW.
“The meeting was positive. We also held discussion on long-term power trade between Nepal and India,” Yadav, who had led the Nepali team to India, said.
Yadav said there was no sign of India increasing power supply to Nepal in the near future. “They keep saying that their system will be improved in a couple of days. We don´t know when that will happen,” he added.
The government had earlier announced that it would limit power cuts to 12 hours a day in the dry season. NEA officials say load-shedding hours will go further up if India does not increase power supply.
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