The fuel crisis has hit the construction of hydropower projects across the country. Six plants being developed by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and its subsidiaries have stalled due to lack of gasoline and construction materials resulting from an undeclared Indian embargo. No work has been done for the past few weeks, the NEA said. “The construction of the projects has come to a complete halt,” said Mukesh Kafle, managing director of the NEA, the state-owned agency responsible for generation, transmission and distribution of electricity in the country. “The unavailability of petroleum has shattered our dream of making the country free of load-shedding within the next two years. All these projects are certain to be delayed which also means they are looking at cost overruns.”
