17 March, Kathmandu: The 14th meeting of Nepal-India Power Exchange Committee (PEC) is starting today in New Delhi, India.
Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Madhu Bhetuwal, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority Kulman Ghising and others have already gone to India to participate in the meeting.
In the meeting, Nepal will put forward a proposal to reduce the rental fee of electricity imported from India. According to Suresh Bhattarai, spokesperson of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Nepal will put forward a proposal to review the electricity rent decided by the 11th meeting.
When Nepal needs it, it imports and exports electricity from various transmission points in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in India.
The 11th meeting of the PEC had fixed the price per unit of electricity imported from 132, 33 and 11 KV transmission lines at Rs 5.55, Rs 6 and Rs 6.45 respectively. The 12th and 13th meetings also continued the same. India has proposed an annual price increase of 5 and a half percent in the previously fixed electricity rent. But Nepal did not accept India’s proposal.
Today’s meeting will also discuss the issue of selling the excess electricity produced during the rainy season in Nepal to the distribution centers of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand in India.
Nepal has been importing and exporting electricity from the Indian competitive market on a negotiated basis.
