Disaggregated household energy supply measurement to support equitable municipal energy planning in rural Nepal

Equitable energy supply planning is nearly impossible in regions with limited data availability. Lack of representation among marginalised populations can perpetuate existing structural and socio-cultural inequities, despite aggregate improvements to energy supply. In Nepal, this represents an acute challenge for the 460 rural municipalities recently tasked with improving supply provision for their constituents. Since the last census in 2011, the country has undergone significant political changes as well as suffering several natural catastrophes. In this context, data collection and analysis methods are needed to support local decision makers in developing equitable energy supply improvement plans. This work highlights the role of disaggregated household energy supply measurement to capture contextual inequities that are typically lost in national or state level aggregates. Methods for efficiently collecting and analysing spatially representative household energy access survey data are described. Application and analysis of household surveys ( N  = 2357) across six rural municipalities in Sudurpashchim Pradesh, far western Nepal, reveals severe geographic and wealth-related inequalities in energy supply provision and associated burden. The results enable municipal planners to not only understand the magnitude, but also the spatial dimension of the supply deficit. Disaggregated measurement is crucial for transparent and equitable energy supply improvement planning.