Generating capacity planning criteria determination for developing countries: case study of Nepal

Reliability is virtually taken for granted in most developed countries, This is not the case in developing countries where many basic development projects compete for the available scarce resources. Many electric power projects are cancelled or postponed owing to a lack of resources, environmental problems and other social concerns. A more rational and consistent evaluation approach is therefore required to justify future power projects in developing countries. The paper describes how a basic reliability cost/worth approach to generating capacity evaluation can be used by utilities in developing countries to make decisions on future power projects. The approach is illustrated by application to the Nepal Integrated Electric Power System, which can be considered as a representative model for many electric power systems in developing countries