HYDROPOWER IN NEPAL FACTS AND FIGURES Facts and Figures Official Number : Nepals Capacity for Hydropower : 83,000 megawatts. But we think the number is a bit underestimated. We claim 85,000 megawatts. What little argument it may be, but it is a fact. This tiny country has the capacity to produce as much as 3% of the worlds electricity. 1st Hydropower Project of Nepal : Nepals first hydro power plant was built in Pharping, built with aid from UK (British) 2nd Hydropower project was Trishuli, built with full support from India. The project had a capacity o 20 megawatts Over 100 Hydropower projects are proposed in Nepal as of 2001 First Private company to undertake hydropower project was Bhote Koshi Power Company Limited Less than 25% of the population of Nepal, have access to Electricity Where cooking gas and electricity is unavailable, people resort to traditional methods of cooking - Wood and Coals. Coal is rarely found in Nepal hence people have no choice but wood from the forest. Lack of electricity is seen as the main result of deforestation in Nepal Advantage for Business : Nepal Government encourages hydropower. License must be obtained from Nepal Electricity Authority. There is no Royalty to be paid for power generation upto 1000 Kilowatts. Tax and Custom Duty for Machinery and Equipment are also exempted for private companies generating that much of electricity. Hydropower Policy of Nepal asks that the Ministry of Water Resources provide a list of areas feasible for hydropower. One Third of the Generated Electricity is used by Industries such as manufacturing plants. How Much Can A Project Output ? Example : Take The Kali Gandaki Hydropower Project. It is one of the biggest hydropower projects in Nepal. Kali Gandaki Hydropower Project has the capacity for 144 megawatts It is believed that by 2015, there will be enough electricity to light every house in Nepal. In nepal, Water is considered as a commodity. Many people share a tap. This is more evident in hill regions and terai belt of Nepal Rivers are the only source for hydropower plants in Nepal. Demand for electric power in Nepal is growing by 28% every year. Developing Rural areas and those highly populated demand more and more energy. USAID in Nepal (United States Agency for International Development) regularly invests in development sector. For it, investment in hydropower means a lot as it can help reduce deforestation as well as uplift poverty. Most recent aid from United States includes Khimti Khola Project with amount US $139 Million, and Kaligandaki A Project with US $ 250 Million.
Posted on: Thu, 30 Jan 2014 11:17:24 +0000
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