Kathmandu. The way has been opened to allow the private sector to use the national transmission line. The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has opened the way for the use of the transmission line with the aim of involving the private sector in the electricity trade.

The Electricity Regulatory Commission (ERC) under the Ministry has made public the wheeling charge standards in the presence of Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha.

According to NHRC Chairperson Dr Ram Prasad Dhital, the fee has been determined as per the criteria for calculating the transmission fee of the National Transmission Grid.

According to the standard, the electricity transmission tariff for the fiscal year 2083/84 has been fixed at Rs 4.13 lakh per megawatt per megawatt for mid-term and long-term open access and 57 paisa per kilowatt hour for short term open access while using the transmission system under the National Transmission Grid under the Nepal Electricity Authority.

Chairman Dhital said that the commission has fixed this tariff to allow third parties or the private sector to use the electricity transmission system under the open market policy.

“The transmission fee has been determined by adopting the calculation method as per the above criteria by taking into account the audited financial statement of the Nepal Electricity Authority for the fiscal year 2081/82 and the estimated annual required income for the fiscal years 2082/83 and 2083/84 submitted by the NEA,” he said. According to Dhital, the third party or the private sector will have to pay the wheeling charge to the Nepal Electricity Authority as per the criteria and rates set by the commission for the exchange of electricity using the transmission and distribution line.

Commission member Jayaraj Bhandari said that the commission is working to issue a separate directive regarding the transmission fee determination of radial and dedicated transmission structures except those under the National Electricity Transmission Grid.