Kathmandu — Home Minister Om Prakash Aryal has directed that the Upper Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project, which was shut down after demands for free shares in the name of “Gen Z youths,” be brought back into operation immediately.
On Wednesday, a delegation led by Ganesh Karki, President of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN), along with representatives of the affected hydropower projects, briefed the Home Minister about the incident.
Chairman Ganesh Karki said that shutting down hydropower projects in the name of “Gen Z youths” was an act of anarchy, and urged Home Minister Aryal to create an environment for the projects to resume operations as soon as possible.
Immediately after hearing IPPAN’s concerns, Home Minister Aryal telephoned Sindhupalchok’s Chief District Officer, Bandhu Prasad Bastola, and instructed him to bring the Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project back into operation without delay.
“Gen Z youths have the right to make demands. If their demands are legitimate, they can be addressed through dialogue and discussion. But halting the project’s production is not acceptable,” Minister Aryal told Bastola. “If you are unable to resume the project’s operation, report what kind of support the Home Ministry needs to provide—but the electricity production must not stop.”
Following the Gen Z protests on September 8 and 9 , the 45-megawatt Upper Bhotekoshi Hydropower Project operating in Sindhupalchok has had its electricity production halted since September 10 . The shutdown was enforced with the demand that 10 percent of the project’s shares be distributed free of cost to Gen Z youths.
During the rainy season, when the project operates at full capacity, it had been generating electricity worth around Rs. 9.8 million per day. Bhote Koshi Power Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Bikram Ratna Sthapit, informed that due to the project’s closure over the past 28 days, it has suffered a revenue loss of more than Rs. 270 million.
The Gen Z youths had sent a letter to the company threatening that electricity generation from Bhotekoshi would not be allowed unless they were given 10 percent of the shares free of cost. While the project remained shut down for 28 days in the name of Gen Z, and operations could not be resumed, local residents have taken this opportunity to send letters to other hydropower projects in Sindhupalchok as well, demanding 10 percent free shares there too.
IPPAN Senior Vice President Mohan Kumar Dangi said that hydropower projects are of national priority and therefore must be protected by the state under any circumstances. He stated that the private sector has invested more than Rs. 1.5 trillion to generate 3,000 megawatts of electricity, and if the government cannot guarantee security, the private sector will not be able to continue its work.
Mohan Bikram Karki, operator of the Upper Balephi Hydropower Project, said that such actions have demoralized hydropower producers, making it impossible for any promoters to invest further in such an environment.
The Gen Z youths have also threatened to shut down electricity production at the 22.2-megawatt Upper Chaku A Hydropower Project starting October 16 if they are not given 10 percent free shares.
At present, a demand for 10 percent free shares has also been made in the 36-megawatt Upper Balephi A, 7.2-megawatt Yambaling Khola, 990-kilowatt Solang Khola, and Ghatte Khola hydropower projects that are already in operation in Sindhupalchok.
Similarly, letters have been sent in the name of Gen Z and local youths to several under-construction projects — including the 22.14-megawatt Balephi A, 1.5-megawatt Lower Selang, 46-megawatt Upper Balephi, 35-megawatt Nyasim Khola, and 65-megawatt Dudhkholā projects — demanding 10 percent free shares there as well.
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