Kathmandu. Although electricity expansion has increased significantly in recent years, the use of firewood as a source of energy is still found to be high.

According to the Economic Survey 2082/83 released by the Ministry of Finance today, the use of firewood has decreased only marginally in the first eight months of the current fiscal year as compared to the previous year.

As of mid-March of the fiscal year 2081/82, 51.9 percent firewood was used as source of energy. In the same period of the current fiscal year, 48.9 percent has been used. Likewise, agricultural residues (4.7 per cent), cow dung (1.3 per cent), petroleum products (21.8 per cent), electricity (12.1 per cent) and renewable energy (2.1 per cent) were the remaining focal points.

A total of 8,024 tonnes of off-oil equivalent energy has been consumed from conventional, commercial and renewable sources till mid-March. Similarly, 8.6 percent of the population has access to electricity from renewable energy sources. As of mid-March last fiscal year, only 8.5 percent of the population had access to such energy.

In the fiscal year 2081/82, 4,386 plants were installed for domestic biogas while 4,627 plants have been installed till mid-March of the current fiscal year. In the fiscal year 2081/82, 62.7 MW of electricity was generated under solar energy technology and 118 KW of electricity was generated till mid-March of the current fiscal year.