KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has announced strict measures targeting industrialists with unpaid dues on dedicated and trunk lines, stating it will begin disconnecting residential electricity connections for defaulters as per the Electricity Distribution Regulations 2078.
NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising said this action is a last-resort effort to recover millions in unpaid dues after repeated reminders and halted payments to businesses have failed to yield results.
This regulatory enforcement means any individual or family member with outstanding electricity fees may face disconnection across all their properties, including personal residences, industrial premises, and businesses within Nepal. The NEA has already tracked the residential lines of defaulting industrialists, setting up for disconnections if immediate payments aren’t made.
“Initially, we halt all NEA payments to these industrialists. If the dues remain unpaid, we proceed by disconnecting their residential lines,” Ghising confirmed. “There is no alternative left but to clear the outstanding amounts.”
Sources report that NEA has begun withholding payments to several major industrial projects linked to these defaulters. Among them are solar plants operated by Goyal Group, the 20 MW Modi Hydropower Project under Murarka Group, and wire and pole supplies from Hulas. The NEA has taken inventory of other hydropower projects with similar ties.
As of yesterday, the NEA disconnected power lines for 44 industrial units with unpaid dues, marking one of its largest actions against non-payment to date. Ghising stated that only a formal waiver from the Cabinet could allow for reconnecting these lines.