KATHMANDU: The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) released a white paper on Friday detailing the organization’s operations and the state of electricity access in Nepal.

Executive Director Hitendra Dev Shakya presented the report, emphasizing transparency and outlining challenges faced by the NEA.

The paper reveals that 97.5% of municipalities and 95% of wards in Nepal have electricity access. Around 91.41% of households are connected, with 5.586 million households equipped with electricity meters as of Magh 2081.

Shakya contested former Executive Director Kulman Ghising’s earlier claims of 99% electricity coverage, asserting that Ghising misrepresented data during his tenure.

Shakya also revealed that the NEA incurred a loss of Rs 5.26 billion, in stark contrast to Ghising’s earlier claim of an Rs 8 billion profit.

The NEA’s liabilities stand at Rs 385 billion, with Rs 77.8 billion in internal resources and Rs 171.4 billion in long-term loans from foreign donors under government guarantee.

Shakya, who replaced Ghising last month, stated that the white paper was released to evaluate the Authority’s performance under his leadership and to provide a clear picture of its current status.