KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has urged the public not to be misled by what it called “deliberately distorted” information circulated to defame Energy Minister Kulman Ghising and NEA Executive Director Manoj Silwal.

In a press statement issued on Saturday, the NEA said certain media outlets had intentionally twisted facts about the agreement made for managing electricity supply during the upcoming winter season.

“The NEA’s serious attention has been drawn to the misleading news disseminated by some media and the related social media comments targeting the winter power management agreement,” the statement read.

The NEA clarified that Nepal is compelled to import electricity during the dry season due to its heavy dependence on run-of-the-river hydropower projects.

“As most of Nepal’s power system is based on river flow, surplus electricity is exported during the rainy season, while a few months of import from India becomes necessary during the dry season to meet domestic demand,” the authority stated.

According to NEA data, Nepal exported 2.38 billion units of electricity last year while importing 1.68 billion units from India.