Kathmandu: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has formed two high-level committees to make the ministry’s performance more results-oriented, transparent, and accountable. The committees, formed on Thursday, will primarily work on resolving issues seen in the Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and licensing processes.
A six-member committee, coordinated by Joint Secretary Dr. Rajan Bhattarai, will conduct a detailed analysis of the current status of PPAs executed through the Nepal Electricity Authority. The committee is expected to play a crucial role in reactivating the PPA process, which has remained largely stalled for a long time.
The committee has been tasked with identifying policy, technical, financial, and legal obstacles in the PPA process and providing concrete recommendations for their resolution. It will also suggest reforms to make the PPA process more transparent, competitive, and aligned with national interests in the future.
Similarly, another five-member committee has been formed under the coordination of Joint Secretary Mohan Shakya to review the status of licenses issued by the Department of Electricity Development. This committee will analyze the progress, implementation status, and associated challenges of the licenses issued so far. It has also been assigned to identify policy, technical, financial, and legal weaknesses in the licensing process and recommend improvements.
In recent times, the private sector has consistently raised concerns about delays, procedural complexities, and the lack of an investment-friendly environment in the energy sector. In particular, with PPAs not being opened, projects worth billions of rupees have fallen into uncertainty, while even licensed projects are facing delays in implementation.
In this context, the committees formed by the ministry are expected to identify structural problems in the energy sector and prepare a roadmap for solutions. If their recommendations are effectively implemented, it is believed that the energy sector will gain new momentum.
Urjasanchar
