When NEA signs PPA with the smaller companies the following are a must: 1. The agreement requires the power to be fulfilled by the powerplant at all times (wet or dry season), otherwise the power plants are penalized for low power supply. The excess power (excee of the agreed power production) is not paid even if sent to the grid. Bhote Koshi signed PPA for 36 MW but runs 45 MW generators. They have been trying to find ways to sell the extra power to India and have been promoting deregulation that they can lease the power grid from NEA to sell directly to India or the end consumer within Nepal. 2. Another interesting thing was Standard Charter Bank did not want to finance any hydro power projects within Nepal because they believed the way NEA was going bankrupt soon and the PPA's would not be valid. 3. NEA requires the power plants to connect to the NEA grid at power plant's expense, but as soon as it is connected, the grid (or the connection) is automatically owned by them. ----------------- I understand the sentiment that we should get all the big international companies to invest in Nepal and harness the power which has been going to waste every second. But so far, the foreign invements or the power agreements (remember Mahakali treaty) has barely given us anything we can be proud of. Kaali Gandaki, had its own problem last year and was only able to harness 1/2 the power last year. Problems at Kulekhani, Marshyangdi, have also created problems in the last few years. Unless the paraffin wax suppliers (candles are made out of them) played their game to create this problem, bigger(higher cost = higher quality) is better concept is worthless as well.