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It's Time for Energy Diplomacy, says Minister

Experts stress on utilizing electricity for industrial development

  2 min 44 sec to read
It's Time for Energy Diplomacy, says Minister
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December 13: With adequate production of electricity in the country in recent days, debates have surfaced on how to utilize electricity as a catalyst for industrial development while ensuring its export.

Experts have stressed the need for finding international market for electricity produced in Nepal by clearing legal and technical hurdles. Similarly, they gave equal importance to increase internal consumption of energy. The viability is more on export of hydropower to Bangladesh and India, the state-owned national news agency RSS reported.

Export of electricity would reduce trade deficit, the speakers argued. They shared such views at a programme organized jointly by Economic Policy Incubator and Society of Economic Journalists Nepal in the capital on Sunday.

On the occasion, Minister for Energy, Hydropower and Irrigation Pampha Bhushal said the time has come for Nepal to prefer energy diplomacy to political and economic diplomacy. She also shared that newly appointed Ambassador to India, Shankar Sharma, was also reminded to focus on energy diplomacy during his tenure.

According to her, a draft of new laws is being prepared to remove legal and technical hurdles to this end. A bill on this regard would be passed in the winter session of parliament if there would not be any political obstruction, Minister Bhushal said. She urged the private sector to make preparation to export hydropower.

According to RSS, Joint Secretary at Energy Ministry Madhu Prasad Bhetuwal said cautious management of electricity is the need of the hour.  Based on the present level of power demand, the surplus would increase to 50,000 Giga Watt Hour by 2028, he argued. "Hefty production cost compared to the neighbouring countries is the major challenge," RSS quoted Bhetuwal as saying.

According to NEA Chief Executive Officer Kulman Ghising, how energy consumption could be increased is a serious challenge at present.

Nabil Bank's CEO Anil Keshari Shah worried that if the hydropower sector faced challenges, it would be a huge loss to country. "If the hydropower sector is dented, banks would go bankrupt," he warned, urging for apt management of hydropower in the country.

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