33 companies in Nepal seek government permits to install solar power plants

    "Republic" reported on November 14 that a total of 33 companies have applied to the Nepal Electric Power Development Authority (DoED) to seek government approval to conduct a feasibility investigation of the installation of Solar For Residential power projects.

    According to DoED, these companies target a total power generation of 408 megawatts. The government adopted a policy to promote the installation of solar power plants on non-cultivable land.

    As of now, DoED has allowed 16 solar energy production projects with a total capacity of 93 MW. Among them, only four projects have started producing a total of 20 megawatts of electricity, while the other nine projects have recently started producing 60 megawatts of electricity.

    The industry's regulator has allowed 21 companies to conduct feasibility investigations.

    The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) officials said that due to the reduction in production costs in recent years, more and more companies are attracted by solar power. NEA buys electricity generated by solar power plants at a price of 7 rupees per kilowatt-hour.

    The Electricity Authority has also been promoting investors to install solar power plants in the area adjacent to the Mid-hill Highway. Since the power company has built many substations in the vicinity of this highway, it is expected to ease the difficulty of power transmission through solar power plants installed in the area around the highway.