Progress in electrification: domestic consumption needs to grow

Purna N. Ranjit

­Recent reports claim that 92.47 percent of all households in the country have been electrified. Likewise, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said that within 3 years all households will be connected with electricity.
The authorities are now campaigning for cooking by electricity. A segment of urban dwellers have already started it since LPG was not available for many months in 2015. Most of them now put LPG cooking systems as a backup or priority 2. The rural areas where the cook in electricity campaign has been introduced are showing encouraging response. Bethanchok and Temal of Kavrpanchok district have been testing the people’s behavioral change in cooking by electricity and sensitize people the benefits of clean cooking to avoid indoor air-pollution and impact of health and social behavior.ction of energy-efficient appliances to households, commercial and industrial sectors are to credit for managing the peak load situation.
The improved scenario is also showing good days ahead as hydropower generation will be around 2,300MW before end of the current fiscal year. This will be adding of nearly equal amount of what now available as installed capacity. The hydropower plants owned by private sector (independent power producers) and the government power utility company are producing almost equal amount of electricity. The completion of Upper Tamakoshi will add 456MW then NEA lead leaving behind the IPPs.
The authorities are now campaigning for cooking by electricity. A segment of urban dwellers have already started it since LPG was not available for many months in 2015. Most of them now put LPG cooking systems as a back up or priority 2. The rural areas where the cook in electricity campaign has been introduced are showing encouraging response. Bethanchok and Temal of Kavrpanchok district have been testing the people behavioral change in cooking by electricity and sensitize people the benefits of clean cooking to avoid indoor air-pollution and impact of health and social behavior.
The government and NEA are looking for households to use electricity for cooking and other domestic works to consume more electricity. The government is also saying that subsidy will provide to consumers to buy electric induction cookers.
In a broad perspective, industries should be developed rapidly so as electricity will be well consumed in the day time. Likewise, the development of electric vehicles will utilize electricity in the night time as electricity generated by run-off-the river type hydropower plants may be wasted specially in the night hours. ng solution cannot use electricity for many other works. They need to upgrade in-house systems. Likewise, the utility needs to upgrade distribution systems including transformers and service cabling. Also, need to consider that household consumption will contribute to up load in certain hours in the morning and evening mainly.
In a broad perspective, industries should be developed rapidly so as electricity will be well consumed in the day time. Likewise, development of electric vehicles will utilize electricity in the night time as electricity generated by run-off-the river type hydropower plants may be wasted specially in the night hours.
That means conducive environment for industrialization is one big aspect to think to escalate use of electricity. As a result of political situation and commitments of government rapid growth industries has been expected. But business community has a lot of hurdles in investing in industries. As such, something other than commitments must be taken seriously.
The government has not been able to promote electric vehicles at a desired extent. Actually, the government need formulate laws, rules and regulations and guidelines according to the policy already formulated so as electric vehicles for public transportation would take a smooth speed. The authorities need to understand that infrastructure for electric vehicles are essential but not only charging stations could boost the operational environment. Support the entrepreneurs in managerial capacity and financial management are more important than establishment of charging stations. Therefore strategy for electricity consumption is industries and transport sector must be worked out fiercely. ( The Nepal Weekly / 2019.12.03)