The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has extended the deadline for industrial consumers who used electricity via dedicated feeders and trunk lines to submit applications for an administrative review of their outstanding dues. According to a public notice issued by NEA, the new deadline is the end of Jestha (mid-June).
This move provides an opportunity for industries with unpaid electricity bills from mid-January 2016 to mid-May 2018 to seek redress under the Electricity Distribution Bylaws 2078, specifically Regulation 55, Sub-Regulations 1 and 2.
To initiate the administrative review process, applicants are required to:
- Deposit 5% of the billed amount in cash, or
- Submit a class ‘A’ bank guarantee of equivalent value with one-year validity.
This decision was made during NEA’s board meeting held on May 4, and applies only to industrial consumers with outstanding dues related to their use of dedicated feeders and trunk lines during the specified period.
The review comes amid a protracted dispute between industrialists and NEA over unpaid electricity tariffs totaling approximately Rs 8.04 billion. NEA has calculated the principal dues at Rs 6.43 billion, with an additional 25% penalty accounting for the rest.
By extending this deadline, NEA appears to be seeking a resolution to this long-standing issue while offering industries a structured opportunity to contest the claims within a formal framework.
