KATHMANDU, JAN 06 –
As the country is facing acute power shortage, former Energy Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat on Sunday urged the government to create a conducive environment to develop big hydropower projects in the country.
Speaking at an interaction in the Capital, the Nepali Congress leader called for the proper use of international, national and local resources to prioritise local hydropower projects. He expressed confidence that the Tamakoshi-2 hydropower project will make Nepal self-dependent in electricity in the next five years.
Newly elected Constituent Assembly member Ananda Pokharel also reposed trust in the Tamakoshi project. He said that the proper use of resources would help eradicate the current power outage, which has shot up from 63 to 80 hours per week.
At the same function, though other speakers raised differing concerns, ranging from Nepal’s unstable political situation to “hydropower mafias”, they all stressed the importance of timely completion of hydel projects.
Hydropower expert Ratna Sansar Shrestha said local investment in the Tamakoshi project has bought about a “sense of ownership.”
Along with discussing the obstacles and benefits of the project, some speakers also gave a detailed account of the project’s status. A local resident of Dolakha and an engineer by profession, Ananta Bahadur Gurung, shed lights on the cost of the project and the quantity of electricity it is estimated to generate—456 MW.
Source : The Kathmandu Post
