Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) pays more than Rs 10 per unit for the electricity it buys from the privately-owned Khimti and Bhote Kosi power plants, while it sells electricity at Rs 6.81 per unit. Furthermore, the expensive electricity generated by the 60MW Khimti and 36MW Bhote Kosi plants is being wasted in the monsoon season because of low demand and excess supply. NEA is therefore losing Rs 2.07 billion per year, while 42 percent of its income goes straight to these two companies. The cost of Bhote Kosi electricity will go up to Rs 11.63 next year. NEA has agreed to buy all the electricity generated by Bhote Kosi for 20 years and pay in US dollars. In the final year of the contract (2020) the price of Bhote Kosi's electricity is expected to go up to Rs. 60.40 per unit. NEA's electricity tariff, however, will only be a maximum of Rs. 16.37 per unit. The Khimti case is similar. NEA's own power plants, which can generate electricity at less than Rs 3 per unit, remain idle. NEA could generate Rs 5 billion in revenue if it were to sell all the 600MW of power that is available, but almost 140MW of this power remains unused. (CENews translation)