Govt.’s policies and programmes: Share investment option to forward hydropower projects

Kathmandu: The government has proposed share investment as an option to the long-term solution to the problems witnessed in the construction of hydropower projects and the power grid.

The government’s policies and programmes unveiled on Monday gave top priority to the energy and water resources sector. A target has been set to generate 30,000 MW of electricity within the next 10 years.

The government incorporated the issues of revising laws related to energy, forest land and environment and implementing a one-door system. The provision to provide options for share investment instead of compensation to citizens of the project-affected areas is also in place.

Programmes like ensuring the private sector’s participation in power production, transmission, distribution and trade, increasing internal consumption by promoting industries based on energy, and making cross-border power trade agreements as a medium of attracting long-term investment have been given high priority.

Similarly, expanding off-grid solar, air and small hydropower systems in places where there is no national grid facility, tax exemption, concessional electricity rate, implementing capital incentives and investment-friendly policy to promote strategic green industries like green hydrogen, green ammonia and chemical fertiliser have been incorporated in the policies and programmes.

The government has adopted a policy of guaranteeing irrigation facilities in the areas of Madhes/Tarai, where there is no irrigation facility through groundwater and in the hilly and mountainous areas through lift technology.

Likewise, there is a policy of implementing a policy of making meteorological forecasting system.

RSS