Nepal’s electricity body was forced to cut power to industries in some locations on Saturday to adjust the shortfall of electricity as it had to shut down the 60MW Upper Trishuli 3A after a man climbed up the main transmission line connected with the project in Kakani of Nuwakot.

Prem BK from Belkotgadhi Municipality-13 who climbed up the high-voltage transmission line in Kakani Rural Municipality-7 at around 11am had not come down until evening, according to government officials.

It is the 220kV transmission line where electricity is being charged in 132kV capacity currently, according to Nepal Electricity Authority.

“As a result, we had to shut down the power plant and we were forced to cut industrial loads in certain locations at certain times,” said Suresh Bhattarai, spokesperson for the NEA. “Whenever power was available from India, we supplied full electricity too.”

He said that the NEA received equivalent power from Bihar, India for certain hours and it cut power to the industries when power could not be received from the southern neighbour.

Nepal has been selling 364MW of electricity to India from six hydropower projects starting from Friday, but it cannot supply that for domestic consumption.

“As per the contractual obligation, we cannot divert power sent to India,” said Bhattarai. “So, we had to manage power by either importing electricity from India or cutting supply.”

Bhattarai said that the NEA has been forced to buy expensive electricity from India for the shutdown of electricity, while the country’s electricity was wasted.

According to Suman Tamang, chairperson of Kakani Rural Municipality, the locals had informed the NEA after seeing the man climbing up the transmission line.

“No harm was done to the man,” he said.

Details about the man who climbed up the transmission line were not immediately available. Some local people said he suffers from intellectual disability.

A team of the Nepal Army rescued him later in the evening, said Tamang.