the people were forced to live in dark while nea continued forecast 19 hours of load-shedding daily in almost to every winter. the government’s pledging to adopt policy initiatives to safeguard investment as security of domestic investment in order to encourage foreign investment had remained just in words. while a handful industrialists received benefits from the policy corruption, the majority of other needy sectors including special economic zone (sez), the strategic tool for industrial growth, failed to get the power utility was able to achieve fair bit of success in curbing electricity theft in various parts of the country, including a number of locations in lalitpur and bhaktapur, which were notorious for the widespread electricity theft. www.energynewsnepal.com social motivators among others have been found to be involved in the wrong doing. in lalitpur, electricity theft is rampant in inner city areas like lukhusi, chyasal, mangal bazaar, ikhalakhu, dhalachhe, saugal, dupat, pinchhe and pilachhe of lalitpur. areas like harisiddhi, ghuitol, thaiba and bandegaun served by the godavari feeder, and sanagaun, siddhipur, lubhu bazaar and lakuri bhanjyang served by the lubhu feeder also come under the areas of high level of electricity theft. similarly, stealing adequate energy supply. started churning out more electricity. electricity is widespread in areas like domestic demand and production domestic generation swelled to more than sunakothi, thecho and lele served by the 550 mw from less than 500 mw in the chapagaun feeder. the government has been reiterating last few weeks, the nea said. addition of more power to the national just in the past two months, lalitpur grid, proper management and the control during peak hour, domestic generation distribution centre of nea booked 224 in policy-corruption for ending the load- further increases to around 600 mw as shedding. despite the increase in power the power utility operates its peaking import from india and the growth in run-of-the-river projects at full capacity. individuals on charge of stealing electricity. the figure was nearly 14 percent of the cross-check 1,700 households. the centre domestic power generation, nepal is still showing the cushion of around 60 mw was able to collect additional revenue facing power crisis. currently, the total electricity import from india along with worth rs2. 1 million through controlling electricity supply amounts to 1,000mw increase in domestic production, nea has the electricity theft. while demand during peak hours stands been claiming the loadshedding to be the at 1,300mw. the nea has been supplying history. electricity imported over the raxaul- parwanipur cross-border power line to the electricity theft—the major challenge similarly, nagarkot, sudol and a number of locations in city area are the places in bhaktapur district that are posing threat industrial corridor in birgunj. however, the country is yet to ascertain on to the state-owned power utility to check the nea’s claim as the authority has still the electricity theft. as per nea record, the the nea has increased energy imports been struggling to check effectively the authority has been losing around rs500 over the cross-border power line by electricity theft. if it fails to get success in its million annually in lalitpur and rs10 around 40mw. the power utility said that mission, nea’s plan to completely relieve million a month in bhaktapur just due to the domestic generation, which currently people from power cut will once again the electricity theft in these districts. stands at 500-550 mw, is expected remain uncertain. to rise in the near future. with a rise in during the inspection carried out by the temperature, the water level in the snow- following its rigorous effort carried out in nea recently, it has found households using fed rivers will go up allowing hydropower february-march this year, the power utility electricity illegally in many of these areas. projects to generate more power. was able to achieve fair bit of success in it has suspected the electricity theft after curbing electricity theft in various parts it recorded the abnormal rise in demand although the total installed capacity of the of the country, including a number of for energy in these areas. likewise, the hydropower plants in the country stands at locations in lalitpur and bhaktapur, around 1,000mw, production goes down which were notorious for the widespread by more than 50 percent when water levels electricity theft. in the rivers fall during the dry season. however, in the recent days, the energy since the second week of may this year, theft is reported to be rising in many areas the nea increased electricity imports from of these districts, despite nea’s repeated india to 501 mw to be able to supply caution to take action against those uninterrupted power to the industrial involved in stealing electricity. with the sector. the state-owned power utility has laxity from the government authorities to been able to slash imports to 460 mw continue monitoring of the sensitive areas, authority has found households breaking the office seal and tampering the main meter box to steal the electricity. nea’s distribution losses stood at 22. 9 percent of the total output at the end of the last fiscal year, mostly due to theft. at the time the power utility is planning to bring down electricity leakage to 20 percent by the end of this fiscal year, the soaring cases of electricity theft has added challenge in after the country’s hydropower projects even the cadres of political parties and its task to end the power cut permanently. 51 energy nepal h]i7 @)&%