CHITWAN: Due to a surge in electricity demand driven by rising temperatures, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Bharatpur Distribution Branch has requested consumers to refrain from operating non-essential electrical appliances.

Rajendra Kumar Chaudhari, chief of the NEA Bharatpur Distribution Center, explained that the peak in summer power consumption has overloaded transmission and distribution lines, as well as transformers, leading to voltage fluctuations. Consequently, he urged the public to shut down non-essential electrical devices.

With the current spell of intense heat, the overloads have caused transformers to burst and wires to melt or burn, disrupting the regular power supply.

Chaudhari further informed that the power supply has also been affected because the NEA’s Grid Substation Automation Project is currently working to automate the grid substation.

Automation work was recently carried out on 10 pillar feeders at the substation located in Bharatpur Metropolitan City Ward No. 11.

The automation work, which initially commenced on April 28 (16 Baisakh), is currently halted. The distribution center records a daily consumption of 65 megawatts (MW) of electricity.

The center possesses a total capacity of 180 MW, which also supplies electricity to the Chanauli Distribution Center. The center currently serves 75,000 consumers. Chaudhari noted that the issues arose because all consumers increased their electricity consumption simultaneously during the summer. Power is supplied to this distribution center through two substations, each with a capacity of 90 MW.