Home Kathmandu Grants allocated for solar light installation

Grants allocated for solar light installation

A wind-solar energy project being run in Phaparbari village of Makawanpur district. Photo: RSS

Kathmandu, June 4, 2016: The Ministry of Federal Affairs and Local Development has dispatched the details of solar lights, including the allocated grant amount, to 96 municipalities for the implementation ‘Public Participation Based Solar Street Light Programme’.

The grant amount of approximately Rs 999.495 million was allocated as per decision taken by the MoFALD yesterday. The amount will be spent for the installation of as many as 43,851 solar-powered street lamps in the designated municipal areas.

Of them, Kathmandu Metropolitan City and Lalitpur Sub-metropolitan city will get 7,369 and 2,082 solar lights respectively. Major municipal areas, including Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Bhaktapur, Damak, Biratnagar, Birgunj and Dharan have been entitled to more solar lights on the basis of urbanisation and population.

Earlier, the MoFALD had directed the municipalities to call for proposals from consumers’ committees, citizen awareness centres and area development organisations for their involvement in programme. The proposal includes necessary details and feasibility study.

The MoFALD plans to gradually install solar lights along 710 kilometers of roads in various municipalities and village development committees across the country to replace the halogen, CFL and mercury-vapour lamps.

The programme is aimed at illuminating urban and rural settlements with solar-powered lights and saving consumption of electricity to reduce the burden of load-shedding.

The government, local bodies and consumers will bear 60, 25 and 15 per cent of the total cost in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City respectively. In case of other places, the government will make an investment of 65 per cent while local bodies would bear 20 per cent and consumers 15 per cent.

The government, local bodies, and consumers will bear 70, 20 and 10 per cent of total cost respectively in highly-deprived settlements. The programme is expected to save at least six MWs of electricity.