Kathmandu. The Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN) has submitted 13 demands to the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), including the opening of the PPA for 13,000 MW hydropower projects.
A team led by Ganesh Karki, chairman of IPPAN, reached to congratulate the newly appointed Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Manoj Silwal on Sunday. FY 2082. Although PPA was open for all projects less than 10 MW before the passage of the budget of 83 MW, the budget has demanded to immediately open PPA for projects based on river flow (RoR) and to ensure PPA for projects worth 15,000 MW which are in the study phase due to lack of assurance of PPA.
Similarly, the committee has demanded to extend the deadline for final commercial production (RCOD) of hydropower projects by 3 years due to floods, landslide, earthquake, economic recession, shortage of explosives, delay in land acquisition and permission to cut trees.
Similarly, due to climate change, the melting of snow in the mountains is increasing rapidly and due to which the water flow in the rivers and streams of Nepal is continuously decreasing and the power generation capacity of hydropower projects is decreasing. There is also a demand for arrangements.
In case the electricity of any project is not fully supplied due to the same transmission line, the interest should be capitalized till the completion of the transmission line and the principal amount should also be restructured and the period up to 6 months should be counted as a good loan and the fiscal year 2082. 83, 2083. 84 and 2084. The PPA of the projects will automatically be converted into take and pay if the project fails to generate electricity up to 85 percent. It has also demanded removal of the provision of automatically converting electricity into take-and-pay if electricity is not generated within 90 years.
Likewise, IPPAN has also demanded to release the remaining amount as the PPA rate of small and old projects is low compared to the previous one and due to ÷the decrease in production due to climate change.
Likewise, making arrangements for revising the energy table after one year of the operation of the hydropower project as none of the hydropower projects have been able to generate electricity as the hydrology of all the rivers has decreased due to climate change.
The IPPAN has also demanded the government to involve the private sector (promoter companies of the private sector projects connecting to the transmission line) in the under-construction transmission lines for the construction of the transmission line as the situation of wastage of electricity is still existing due to the delay in the construction of the transmission line on time.
Receiving the memorandum of congratulations and IPPAN’s demands, NEA’s Managing Director Silwal said that the NEA and the private sector should walk hand in hand. “Both should walk together, they cannot move without each other, both drown while walking alone,” he said, adding, “The NEA will move ahead seriously regarding the problems of the private sector. ’
Stating that the authority was ready to work without any bias and in accordance with the rules, Silwal said that force major was a valid reason for extending the RCOD deadline and urged the NRA to immediately inform the authority if there is any delay due to other reasons. “If there is any delay in starting the project due to any reason, inform us immediately, if the joint meeting of both sides is held virtually and if the reason goes ahead with the reason, the RCOD deadline can be extended,” he said. ’
Silwal said that NEA was ready to facilitate for the new PPA rate and other issues as the higher authority has to decide on it.
