NEA Starts Surveys to Increase Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is starting surveys to increase the number of charging stations throughout the country to promote electric vehicles (EVs).

This is a part of NEA’s promotional activities with which NEA aims to encourage people to use environment-friendly vehicles in the future.

Why it matters:

• Currently, NEA is also working on assessing the probability of surplus energy Nepal is likely to have after the completion of Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Project.
• Adhikari says, “If we fail to do so (estimating the surplus electricity situation), then energy will go waste.”
• NEA plans to use EVs as a way of dealing with the surplus energy situation in the future.

Backstory:

• NEA established Nepal’s first charging station last December in Ratna Park amid much fan fair as a campaign to encourage use of electricity-powered vehicles to control air pollution.
• In the coming month, four more stations were set up in the Valley. Along with Ratna Park, there are now stations at Naxal, Thapathali, Sitapaila and in Singha Durbar at the National Planning Commission.

The details:

• NEA Spokesperson Prabal Adhikari said that the study is being conducted along with EV promotional activities. He said that NEA is currently studying the use of available spaces at the petrol pumps for installing EV charging stations.
• NEA is also working on identifying special time slots with lower power consumption when such charging stations could operate.
• Moreover, NEA plans to buy more EVs for its own internal operations. It is planning to increase their share of EVs in operations.
• NEA also plans to submit a detailed report including ways on how to increase energy consumption and steps to promote EVs to the government.