Kathmandu, April 17
Energy secretaries of Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan have held an online meeting to discuss the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the energy sector of the region.
Nepal’s Energy Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire says they discussed the balance between electricity demand and supply, under-construction hydropower projects, the problems they faced, and possible solutions.
During the meeting, Nepal proposed forming a joint company for the construction of the Butwal-Gorakhpur 400 KV transmission line between Nepal and India, according to him. He urged his Indian counterpart, Sanjeev Nandan Sahai, to sign a shareholder agreement as soon as possible.
Likewise, Nepal also requested India to facilitate the transport of some equipment purchased by Nepali hydropower projects as they got stuck in India due to the lockdown in both the countries. Recently, the cabinet has decided that the hydropower projects continue their works during the lockdown also, he informed.
