Urja Khabar
Kathmandu; The 'Energy Conference, 2023' is kicking off in Kathmandu on Tuesday. The two-day gathering organized by the Independent Power Producers Association Nepal (IPPAN) is witnessing the participation of over 300 foreign delegates from more than 30 countries including India, Bhutan and Bangladesh.
According to the organizer, Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal will inaugurate the eighth edition of the energy conference. The conference that will host 16 sessions, is providing a common platform to discuss on Nepal's electricity market, investment opportunities and challenges in hydropower in the South Asian region, climate change, international electricity trade, and related policies.
Ashish Garg, vice president of IPPAN and conference coordinator, informed that a team including Bhutan's Minister of External Affairs Loknath Sharma and more than 100 representatives from India have already arrived in the country’s capital to participate in the conference. According to him, India's power traders PTC, Manikaran and Tata companies have also arrived.
Similarly, representatives from Indian industrial entities like GMR, NHPC, Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam, Renew Power, Adani Group and Jindal and Vedanta have also arrived, informed Garg. "Aspiring Indian companies that were almost out of the scene in Nepal's hydroelectricity in the last decade are also showing their presence this time," he told Urja Khabar.
Professor of Jawaharlal Nehru University, Mahendra P Lama, who looks after issues related to South Asia's geopolitics and energy security; RV Shahi, former power secretary of India and energy experts Dr Sanjay Bharadwaj and Tarikh Amin of Bangladesh will be presenting their insight about the sector.
While the conference will host a 'Power Leader Forum' of the leaders of Nepal’s hydropower sector, a report on the ‘South Asian Forum on Energy Investment’ will be unveiled at the inauguration session.
According to IPPAN, the Investment Board Nepal and the private sector will be showcasing hydropower projects of 5,000 MW. The conference will also facilitate a power purchase agreement between Nepal’s private hydropower companies and potential Indian buyers.
