Private power producers urged to cut rates in Nepal

The government of Nepal has urged Norwegian and US utility companies operating in the country to slash the price of the electricity they sell to the state-owned power distributor, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

NEA, the only utility authorised to sell electricity to consumers in Nepal, has agreements with the operators of the Khimti and Bhote Koshi hydro power plants to buy their electricity at about seven US cents a unit. The Khimti plant, a joint venture with Norway’s Statkraft, is now generating 60MW while the Bhote Koshi project, a 36MW Nepali-US private venture, is ready to come on line