Increasing Possibility of Energy Mix

January 29: The possibility of energy-mix taken up by the National Energy Crisis Reduction Action Plan has increased recently.

With the government encouraging production of electricity from different resources other than hydro power, investors are attracted towards it. Most of them are attracted towards solar energy.

According to latest statistics, the number of solar energy producing companies on the process has so far reached 29. The total producing capacity of these companies will be 160.9 MW.

“Among the companies receiving licenses to produce solar energy is Bishnupriya Solar Firm (1 MW), located at Nawalparasi,” informs Baburaj Adhikari, Information Officer of the Department of Electricity Development.

Similarly, 18 companies have got licenses for survey and nine companies have submitted applications for survey.

Wind energy is another attraction after solar energy. However, there is less number of investors interested to invest in wind energy. Until now, only four companies have asked for survey license for it. The total electricity production of these companies will be 14 MW.

 

Among them, a company has already got license for production of 5 MW of wind energy. Meanwhile, three other wind energy companies of a total of 9 MW have submitted applications for survey license.

Likewise, in bio-mass energy, among the three companies applying for survey, two companies have already received the licenses. The capacity of the two bio-mass companies is 25.9 MW.

The government had aimed at producing 100 MW from solar and wind energy as an alternative energy within one year of the start of the action plan, until March, 2017. However, till now, not a single megawatt of electricity has been produced from these alternative resources.

The government had forwarded the energy mix concept in view of the energy crisis in the future to be faced while emphasizing only on water resources, but investors could not be attracted citing high cost and low generation capacity. There is a situation that the only achievement in alternative energy in one year was the license of solar energy received by a company in Nawalparasi district.