Kathmandu, Jan 27: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has interrupted the smooth power supply to Shivam Cement, Nepal’s biggest private owned cement industry forcing its closure for an indefinite period. On Friday, NEA team had arrived at the industry’s office for the study of power supply situation. After two days from its observation, it has decided to supply less power.
NEA’s team led by the executive director Mukesh Raj Kafley decreased the supply time by 15 hrs saying that the industry was consuming 12 MW electricity daily from the dedicated feeder according to electrical DGM of Shivam Cement, Nawal Kishore Chaudhary.
Accusing the company of consuming electricity in an unauthorized manner during the loadshedding hours, NEA decided to supply only 9 hrs of electricity to the cement industry.
It becomes impossible for the industry to continue its operation by power supply of only 9 hrs.
“We have no other alternatives than to shut down, ” said Chaudhary adding that without smooth power supply the operation can’t simply continue. He also informed that Shivam Cement which had been producing 1200 metric ton of cement everyday had only 3/4th of the stock left.
The industry had got 12 MW of electricity approval and was consuming 10 MW of electricity per day in two shifts — 6 MW for 10 hrs and 4 MW for no loadshedding hours.
Mr. Chaudhary remembered that the industry recently paid an electricity bill amount of 2 billion, 5.4 million for monthly 12 MW consumption of electricity.
The NEA’s decision has left around 500 employees including laborers jobless adding woes to their daily life.
300 employees are directly involved in the industry while 200 others are indirectly associated with it which pays a revenue of 2.2 million to the government per day.
