NEA Denies Power Cuts as Load-Shedding Rumors Spread

Rumors of a return of load-shedding nationwide resurfaced on Sunday after the Nepal Electricity Authority’s (NEA) Chanauli Distribution Center in Chitwan issued a public notice with a power outage schedule.

The notice stated that electricity supply would be cut off on the Narayani–Madi feeder from 6 am to 9 am and 3 pm to 6 pm, on the Meghauli–Bijaynagar–Shukranagar feeder from 9 am to 12 pm and 6 pm to 9 pm, and on the Jagatpur–Rampur feeder from 12 pm to 3 pm and 9 pm to 12 am.

The publication of the schedule triggered widespread speculation that the country was returning to scheduled power cuts, especially following the leadership change at NEA.

NEA Clarifies: ‘No Load-Shedding’

Responding to the reports, the NEA clarified that the outages were not load-shedding. It said the temporary power cuts were required to replace distribution lines and transformers to manage increased demand for irrigation caused by insufficient rainfall during the monsoon.

“It is misleading and inappropriate to label this as a ‘load-shedding schedule,’” the NEA said in a statement, calling the reports exaggerated and misinformed.

The NEA explained that the distribution network fed by the Bharatpur 132/33 kV substation uses 33 kV conductor lines, which cannot handle more than 300 amperes of current, creating supply constraints. Despite the monsoon season, many urban centers, including Kathmandu, have been experiencing unscheduled outages due to network limitations.

Industrial Consumers Report Long Outages

Industrial users have complained of prolonged outages even during the rainy season. Madan Ghimire, acting president of the Chitwan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said factories in the district have been facing 3–4 hour cuts most days, with frequent voltage fluctuations damaging equipment.

“This problem is especially severe in Ratnanagar and Bharatpur, where low voltage and tripping have reduced industrial output by 20–30 percent,” Ghimire said, adding that generator use and diesel consumption have surged as a result.

Similar issues were reported in the Morang–Sunsari corridor until about 10 days ago, with 7–8 hours of outages daily, and in Parsa, where industries faced up to 10 hours of power cuts. In the Jitpur–Simara corridor, outages lasted as long as 8–9 hours a day, according to industrial operators.

Supply vs Demand

NEA officials said current daily electricity consumption stands at around 2,300 MW, while production is approximately 2,800 MW. However, supply has been affected by the shutdown of several hydropower plants after floods in Rasuwa on July 8 disrupted about 240 MW of generation, with no clear timeline for resumption.

NEA Executive Director Hitendra Dev Shakya maintained that the current outages are due to transmission and distribution upgrades, not load-shedding. He said extreme heat in the Tarai had increased demand, adding that the problem is likely to ease after September when temperatures drop.

Regarding the Chitwan notice, Shakya said the scheduled outages were required to replace old conductors and upgrade the substation to handle higher capacity. “The old network couldn’t sustain the load, so we are replacing it with new conductors. This cannot be termed load-shedding,” he said.