KATHMANDU: Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has said the government recognises the energy sector as the one that can lead the country to develop a strong base for prosperity. He stressed that green energy will be both a means and also a product that will enable Nepal to make the transition to a strong economy.
Addressing the Power Summit 2023 that kicked off in Kathmandu today, he said the Government of Nepal takes great pride in announcing to the world that Nepal today generates more power than it consumes, though seasonally.
The Power Summit 2023 is jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal. The theme of the Power Summit is 'Broadening Green Energy Markets'.
[caption id="attachment_35377" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
"Due to the accelerated pace of development of hydropower projects both from IPPs and state utilities, we anticipate to be a net exporter of electricity by 2025 without any need to import even in the dry season," the PM said adding that the Power Summit in Kathmandu is to share and learn from experiences from Nepal and abroad on the best strategy to 'Broaden the markets for our green energy'.
He mentioned that many Nepali citizens still do not have access to green energy, and pointed out the need to continue expanding the grid as well as adopt off-grid technologies to make electricity available to all people in the country.
"We all should understand that the use of generated electricity in our own domestic market is our key priority as we aspire to be economically prosperous," Prime Minister Dahal said.
Until we build enough infrastructures to utilise the generated electricity internally, we need to export it to protect the huge investments already incurred on the generation side.
Further, he said that it is of equal importance, for economic reasons, to engage ourselves in the cross-border power trade in view of utilising cheap and diverse resources existing in the region and sub-region.
He stated that the export of surplus energy from Nepal needs to be on the table, and highlighted four sectors that can consume electricity heavily and increase the per capita consumption. In his view, this will also mitigate Nepal's dependency on imported fossil fuels and huge trade deficit.
The four sectors highlighted by PM Dahal are agriculture, industries that still rely on diesel and coal as well as biomass that pollute our environment, cooking and transportation.
He said while over 65% of Nepalis are engaged in agriculture, it contributes less than a quarter of our GDP and has a huge potential for growth. This growth potential should be powered by green energy.
Reiterating that the Government of Nepal will work to ensure that industries across Nepal have access to green energy priced at competitive rates, the Prime Minister said, "If we can get all Nepalis to cook with green energy, it will contribute to protecting our forests, and also greatly reduce our dependence on imported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)."
He added that the import of vehicles may continue but we can make a transition to electric modes of transport so that our import of fossil fuels declines and this contributes to mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
He expressed his belief that these issues will be discussed during the power summit.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister invited IPPAN to join hands with the Government and work together to come up with a clear demand development policy that can help broaden the market for Nepal’s green energy.
"Following the historical political changes that have taken place in Nepal, the aspirations to see large-scale economic development has also risen among the people of Nepal," he said, adding, "Nepal has been at the forefront in its efforts to conserve our rich biodiversity heritage and is a signatory to all treaties related to the global response to climate change."
He stated that Nepal has a very clear opportunity to attain the goal of becoming net zero by 2045. He added, "Given that we are endowed with enormous hydro and solar power potential, we can fulfil our international commitment of transition to clean energy and also support our neighbouring countries to meet their emission reduction targets by exporting our electricity."
[caption id="attachment_35378" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_35379" align="alignnone" width="1000"]
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet said the government and the private sector were focused on the qualitative development and transformation of the energy sector through collaboration.
He mentioned that the government is moving ahead with a long-term vision of exploring the international market for power and increased domestic consumption.
The Power Summit 2023 will run until Wednesday. Taking part in the event are over 300 representatives from more than 30 countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
High officials of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, companies related to power trade, banks and financial institutions, power extension and distribution companies and consultants. This summit brings an opportunity to meet and get exposure to over 800 participants — governments, energy producers, traders, investors, policymakers, regulators, academics, and business people- all concerning the energy sectors — from all over the world
Discussions will be held in 15 different sessions on Nepal's power trade, transmission infrastructure, hydropower demand, technology, innovation, inter-country power trade and related topics.
The ministry is the patron of the Power Summit while the Investment Board Nepal is its co-organiser.
By RSS
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Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
"Due to the accelerated pace of development of hydropower projects both from IPPs and state utilities, we anticipate to be a net exporter of electricity by 2025 without any need to import even in the dry season," the PM said adding that the Power Summit in Kathmandu is to share and learn from experiences from Nepal and abroad on the best strategy to 'Broaden the markets for our green energy'.
He mentioned that many Nepali citizens still do not have access to green energy, and pointed out the need to continue expanding the grid as well as adopt off-grid technologies to make electricity available to all people in the country.
"We all should understand that the use of generated electricity in our own domestic market is our key priority as we aspire to be economically prosperous," Prime Minister Dahal said.
Until we build enough infrastructures to utilise the generated electricity internally, we need to export it to protect the huge investments already incurred on the generation side.
Further, he said that it is of equal importance, for economic reasons, to engage ourselves in the cross-border power trade in view of utilising cheap and diverse resources existing in the region and sub-region.
He stated that the export of surplus energy from Nepal needs to be on the table, and highlighted four sectors that can consume electricity heavily and increase the per capita consumption. In his view, this will also mitigate Nepal's dependency on imported fossil fuels and huge trade deficit.
The four sectors highlighted by PM Dahal are agriculture, industries that still rely on diesel and coal as well as biomass that pollute our environment, cooking and transportation.
He said while over 65% of Nepalis are engaged in agriculture, it contributes less than a quarter of our GDP and has a huge potential for growth. This growth potential should be powered by green energy.
Reiterating that the Government of Nepal will work to ensure that industries across Nepal have access to green energy priced at competitive rates, the Prime Minister said, "If we can get all Nepalis to cook with green energy, it will contribute to protecting our forests, and also greatly reduce our dependence on imported liquefied petroleum gas (LPG)."
He added that the import of vehicles may continue but we can make a transition to electric modes of transport so that our import of fossil fuels declines and this contributes to mitigating the adverse impacts of climate change.
He expressed his belief that these issues will be discussed during the power summit.
On the occasion, the Prime Minister invited IPPAN to join hands with the Government and work together to come up with a clear demand development policy that can help broaden the market for Nepal’s green energy.
"Following the historical political changes that have taken place in Nepal, the aspirations to see large-scale economic development has also risen among the people of Nepal," he said, adding, "Nepal has been at the forefront in its efforts to conserve our rich biodiversity heritage and is a signatory to all treaties related to the global response to climate change."
He stated that Nepal has a very clear opportunity to attain the goal of becoming net zero by 2045. He added, "Given that we are endowed with enormous hydro and solar power potential, we can fulfil our international commitment of transition to clean energy and also support our neighbouring countries to meet their emission reduction targets by exporting our electricity."
[caption id="attachment_35378" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
[caption id="attachment_35379" align="alignnone" width="1000"] Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal addresses Power Summit 2023 jointly organised by the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN) and the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu, on Tuesday, April 18, 2023. Photo: RSS[/caption]
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet said the government and the private sector were focused on the qualitative development and transformation of the energy sector through collaboration.
He mentioned that the government is moving ahead with a long-term vision of exploring the international market for power and increased domestic consumption.
The Power Summit 2023 will run until Wednesday. Taking part in the event are over 300 representatives from more than 30 countries including India, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
High officials of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, companies related to power trade, banks and financial institutions, power extension and distribution companies and consultants. This summit brings an opportunity to meet and get exposure to over 800 participants — governments, energy producers, traders, investors, policymakers, regulators, academics, and business people- all concerning the energy sectors — from all over the world
Discussions will be held in 15 different sessions on Nepal's power trade, transmission infrastructure, hydropower demand, technology, innovation, inter-country power trade and related topics.
The ministry is the patron of the Power Summit while the Investment Board Nepal is its co-organiser.
By RSS
READ ALSO:
Published Date: April 18, 2023, 12:00 am
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