Minister Basnet directs for preparation to implement energy development action plan

Kathmandu, Oct 3: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, has directed the bodies concerned to make preparation in order to take ‘Energy Development Roadmap and Action Plan-2080’ into implementation in practice. During the meeting with chiefs and office-bearers of the ministry and its sub-ordinate bodies at the Energy Ministry today, Minister Basnet asked the bodies concerned to make preparation for implementation of action plan prepared for 12 years in thematic and practical manner. He mentioned that the clear roadmap of implementation should be find out as the action plan would be forwarded as the national responsibility by approving from the cabinet soon.

The Energy Minister further said that internal consumption of electricity would be increased and surplus power would be exported. A taskforce under coordination of Joint-Secretary of the Energy Ministry, Sandeep Kumar Dev, was formed on July 11 as per the ministry-level decision. The taskforce submitted the report before Minister Basnet on September 12. As per the roadmap, it was necessary to make preparation as there would be demand of 28,468 megawatt electricity by 2035. Emphasis was laid on the issue of coordination among inter-government bodies, legal and institutional reforms for implementation of the action plan.

The action plan has clearly mentioned about the quantity of power produced from different projects within next 12 years and cost for the same. A target has been set to make per capita power consumption to 1500 unit by 2035 as well as to construct 6440 circuit kilometer transmission line and making capacity of substations of 40,000 MVA. Secretary at the Energy Ministry, Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, Irrigation Secretary Gopal Sigdel, taskforce coordinator Dev and Deputy Executive Director Pradeep Kymar Thike were present in the meeting.