The ministry put forth the proposal before National Planning Commission (NPC) members during a meeting at which the NPC asked about the ministry’s requirements and suggestions with regard to the coming budget. [break]
“In the last five years we talked a lot about promoting hydropower projects through the private sector but during the period we could develop not even a single project generating even 5 megawatt of electricity ,” said a highly placed official.
He added that the proposal was put forth out of the notion that the government must not remain a mute spectator but should come forward with immediate measures.
The largest project commissioned from the private sector in the last five years is the 3.2 MW Mardi Khola Small Hydro Electric Project in Kaski district, according to Sriranjan Lacoul, Director General of the Department of Electricity Development (DoED).
A few other projects developed in the past five years and which will come on stream in the next few months are smaller ones generating 1 or 2 MW.
The department has issued generation licenses for several projects that will altogether generate 89.9 MW. These include the 30 MW Chameliya and Kulekhani-III Hydroelectric Projects. Progress status at many other projects is not satisfactory, according to Lacoul.
Out of the same notion that it´s high time the government took on an intervening role in developing hydro-projects, the ministry has decided to start on its own on the 122 MW Upper Seti storage project and the 40 MW Lower Solu Hydro Project in Solukhumbu district, among other medium-size projects.
Earlier, representatives from the government of Japan at a meeting in January had agreed in principal to build the 122 MW Upper Seti in Tanahun district.
Government officials in Nepal were expecting the Japanese government would allocate money while unveiling its annual budget in March. According to the officials, the hydro-project was an also agenda item during Finance Minister Dr Baburam Bhattarai’s visit to Japan in February. But, Japan has remained silent so far.
“We should no longer hold back such projects, waiting for support from donor agencies. We have to start work on the projects ourselves,” the official said.
The official further explained that if any donor agency or other developer is ready to build a project they can take on the electromechanical or other component while the government goes ahead to build the access road and other civil works.
thira@myrepublica.com
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