Increased payment facilities for electricity dues, Himal Iron settles outstanding bills, connects power lines

KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has introduced a new provision allowing consumers using electricity from dedicated and trunk lines to settle outstanding bills in installments, extending up to 60 payments.
The decision was made during a meeting of the NEA Executive Committee chaired by Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Minister Shakti Bahadur Basnet on Monday evening.

Executive Director Kul Man Ghising provided details of the new provision, stating that consumers now have the flexibility to pay their bills over 60 months or more, depending on the owed amount. The information was shared publicly through the Board, offering a special arrangement to grant this facility to consumers for monthly bills exceeding that of a particular month.

In the past, the NEA had initiated periodic requests through public announcements to allow industrial, commercial, and large commercial consumers, who consumed electricity through dedicated feeders and trunk lines for more than 20 hours daily, to settle electricity dues with premiums.

The NEA had initiated the disconnection of lines for 23 out of 61 such consumers who had outstanding dues exceeding Rs 50 million.

As per NEA, the disconnection was carried out as part of the strategy to collect the outstanding amount.
Himal Iron and Steel Pvt Ltd, operating under the Bara-Parsa Industrial Corridor, has become the first entity to benefit from this new provision.

The company settled a portion of its outstanding bill amounting to NPR 81 million on Monday, marking the initiation of a 60-installment settlement plan.

Manoj Silwal, Executive Director of Distribution and Customer Services Department at the NEA stating that the industry’s first installment was paid on Monday night of Rs 2.7 million.

“This new provision marks a significant shift in the NEA’s approach, offering more lenient payment options to consumers and fostering collaboration to ensure the continued supply of electricity,” said Silwal.