The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation (MoEWRI), Government of Nepal, and GIZ Nepal, on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the European Union (EU), have signed the second amendment to the implementation agreement for the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Programme – Green Recovery and Empowerment with Energy in Nepal (REEEP-GREEN).
REEEP-GREEN is a technical cooperation project between the Government of Nepal, the Federal Republic of Germany (BMZ) and the European Union (EU).
The signing ceremony was held in Lalitpur in the presence of Secretary for Energy, Water, Resources and Irrigation Ministry, Suresh Acharya; Head of Cooperation at the Delegation of the European Union to Nepal, José Luis Viñuesa-Santamaría; and Deputy Head of Mission at the German Embassy inKathmandu, Benjamin Seidel among other senior officials.
This event formalises the technical cooperation agreement between the Governments of Nepal and Germany, originally signed on January 23, 2024. The amended agreement includes an additional funding of 6 million euros and a three-year extension of the project.
On behalf of the BMZ and the EU, the project is implemented by the GIZ, under the guidance of MoEWRI. The project aims to enhance planning and implementation conditions for measures that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency in Nepal.
The project focuses on strengthening regulatory and institutional frameworks at the national, provincial, and local levels.
One of its significant endeavours is the long-awaited Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill, which is crucial for regulating renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors of Nepal, reads the statement issued after the signing ceremony. The Bill is currently under review and discussion by the relevant sub-committees in the Parliament.
In addition, with technical and financial assistance from REEEP-GREEN to the private sector, 16 distributed renewable energy projects (including micro-hydro power grid connection, electric vehicle charging stations) are currently being implemented.
Recently, the project also announced a conditional grant support for industries and enterprises to implement energy efficient measures, as part of its efforts to promote energy efficiency in industries.
The amendments to the REEEP-GREEN implementation agreement are expected to significantly enhance the project’s impact, expediting Nepal’s transition towards clean, green and sustainable energy. Furthermore, the strengthened collaboration between Nepal, Germany, and the European Union is set to play a pivotal role in fostering sustainable economic growth and advancing clean energy solutions.
