The government has unveiled the ‘Energy Consumption Growth and Export Strategy, 2026’ and has planned to abolish the subsidy on cooking LPG and provide subsidies on electric stove for the next 10 years (fiscal year 2036/37).
The Customs Department has stated that 4.1m tons of gas have been imported till April of the current fiscal year. Cooking gas worth Rs 41.65bn was imported during this period.
According to the department, 5.5m tons of gas worth Rs 62.58bn was imported in the last fiscal year (2081/82). Gas worth Rs 55bn was imported in the previous fiscal year 2080/81.
Nepal Oil Corporation has stated that 48,000 tons of gas are being imported monthly in the current fiscal year. Currently, the corporation is selling it at Rs 2,160 per cylinder. This has resulted in a loss of Rs 331.25 per cylinder to the corporation.
Earlier, some local levels have also started providing subsidies for electric stoves for cooking. To increase the use of electric stoves, the authority is increasing the capacity of transmission lines, modernizing transformers and transmission networks. The Ministry of Energy has stated that the installed electricity capacity across the country has reached 4,296 megawatts. 204 megawatts will be added in the current fiscal year. This will bring the per capita electricity consumption to 450 kilowatts.
Electricity exports from Nepal are 2,918 gigawatts. With the aim of emphasizing electric vehicles (EVs) including public vehicles, a policy has been put forward to provide charging station facilities at petrol pumps.
The government aims to expand the network of charging stations at a certain distance across the country by the fiscal year 2028/29. This will increase the use of electric vehicles. Similarly, there is a plan to operate electric buses in major cities. Similarly, the government aims to increase electricity consumption capacity and provide transportation services by re-operating trolley buses. There is a plan to reduce diesel consumption by giving discounts on electricity tariffs used in irrigation pumps used in the agricultural sector.
