PEC meet likely to decide on 100MW power import
NEW DELHI, DEC 14 -
The crucial 10th meeting of the bilateral Power Exchange Committee (PEC), which is expected to finalise technical details essential to pave the way for importing additional 100MW electricity from India, is scheduled to begin here on Wednesday.
The two-day meeting is also expected to fix the earliest possible date for importing such quantum of power while sorting out the technical nitty-gritty, according to Nepali officials.
Prior to this, Nepal has been expressing its intent to import that amount of electricity in upcoming few months to address its power crunch. And recently, a meeting of the Joint Committee on Water Resources held in the last week of November in New Delhi also directed PEC to take up the issue.
In an apparent boost to the Nepali side, the meeting of technical experts of both the countries held on November 20-21 in Kathmandu has concluded that 100MW electricity can be imported from India with minimum repairs in existing transmission lines within three months and additional 145MW in one year. Earlier, PEC was set to meet on November 14-15 in Kathmandu, but could not due to technical reasons.
PEC is set to take note of the recommendations submitted by the technical experts for reinforcement of existing interconnection facilities as well as creation of new interconnection facilities, including 132KV Katai-Kushaha double circuit and 132KV Raxaul-Parwanipur single circuit (D/C Tower), to enhance the import of power in short as well as medium terms.
Although the Nepali side has been requesting to expedite the implementation of those recommendations, the Indian side, however, has ruled out the need for additional interconnections as the 400KV Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar double-circuit cross-border link is being established.
PEC will also look into the request from the Nepali side to enhance their import beyond 50MW under the bilateral exchange modality, Nepali officials said.
An 11-member Nepali delegation will take part at the meeting. Ten officials, including Nepal Electricity Authority Managing Director Rameshwar Yadav, General Managers Chiranjeevi Sharma Paudel, Mahendra lal Shrestha and Ramchandra Paudel, arrived in New Delhi on Tuesday. Yagya Hamal, minister (political) at Nepali Embassy also joins the talk team.
Source: Kantipur
