IHA Sustainability and NHA's partnerdhip for sustainable hydropower development in Nepal

Kathmandu; Hydropower plays a vital role in Nepal’s energy system, providing almost all the country’s domestic electricity generation. Nepal’s rapidly growing economy will require new capacity to meet the country’s rising power demand. It is crucial that such development is conducted with sustainability in mind to minimize risks and maximize socio-economic and environmental advantages.

To unlock Nepal’s hydropower potential, the International Hydropower Association’s (IHA) Sustainability team and the Nepal Hydropower Association (NHA) have formed a partnership to improve the sustainability of hydropower development in the region by furthering local understanding of international good and best practices. The partnership is part of a capacity building programme supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and in association with Bizbell.

Arun Rajoria, Genneral Secretarary of NHA said,” This event will be a milestone in bringing key stakeholders in one platform to work towards Hydropower Sustainability Standard.”

The partnership will lead to a programme of work including a series of training courses, workshops on key sustainability issues and an assessment of a hydropower project using the internationally recognized Hydropower Sustainability Standard. Through this programme, local professionals will learn how to measure the sustainability performance of hydropower projects and make informed choices throughout a project’s life cycle.

The first joint activity is a Certified User training course taking place in Kathmandu on 27 February – 1 March. The training will provide an overview of the Hydropower Sustainability Standard and how it can be used to improve project performance and attract international funding. Participants will include government representatives, stakeholders from the public and private sector, project developers, academics and financial institutions.

“We are excited to be partnering with NHA to make Nepal a model for sustainable hydropower development in the region”, said Alain Kilajian, Senior Sustainability Specialist at IHA. “Our collaboration aims to train local professionals to identify and support socially and environmentally responsible hydropower projects. This is a crucial time for the Nepalese hydropower sector and we hope our partnership can help bring long-term benefits not only to local communities affected by these projects but also to the wider Nepalese society.”

Through this partnership, it is envisioned that the Nepal Hydropower Association will become a centre of excellence on sustainable development in South Asia, leveraging on international expertise from IHA to foster exchange of knowledge and learning.

Founder of Bizbell Sushil Pokharel said, “adaptation of international guidelines of sustainable hydropower development will help us to unlock investment opportunities in Nepal. It’s equally important to uplift the lives of local community.”

The objective of the programme is to enable the sustainable development of Nepal’s energy sector in line with international best practices to increase the benefits hydropower can bring to local communities and the environment.