Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, has announced that work on the Upper Arun Hydropower Project will commence soon. Speaking at a programme organized by the Nepal Press Union in Sankhuwasabha on Tuesday, Minister Khadka emphasized that the project will move forward once financial resources are secured.
"I am working to involve local residents in the project, with the government making provisions for concessional loans to low-income families," he said, adding that his goal is to ensure that each household in Sankhuwasabha holds shares worth Rs 500,000 in the project.
The minister also highlighted plans to extend this model of share distribution to poor and underprivileged families across Nepal. He stressed the importance of fully utilizing the district's water resources to build a prosperous Sankhuwasabha.
Minister Khadka mentioned that discussions are underway with Chief District Officers to address delays in constructing the national transmission line along the Koshi Corridor. He also pledged to electrify the entire country within the next two years by involving the private sector in hydropower development.
Describing the energy sector as a crucial pillar for achieving national economic prosperity, Khadka reiterated the government's target of generating 28,500 megawatts of electricity within the next decade. Sankhuwasabha alone, he noted, has the potential to contribute 5,000 megawatts.
The minister pointed out that the simultaneous focus on electricity production and irrigation could benefit citizens, especially if electricity is provided at subsidized rates to government hospitals, schools, and for water supply and irrigation purposes.
He also addressed the ongoing dispute over electricity tariff payments for trunk and dedicated lines, assuring that the issue is being reviewed by the Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee. "Industrialists must pay for the electricity they have consumed," he asserted.
The Upper Arun Hydro Electric Project is a Run-of-River type hydroelectric project with optimized generating capacity of 1061 MW capacity. A meeting of the Council of Ministers on September 21, 2018 decided to develop the project through the Upper Arun Hydroelectric Limited (UAHEL), a subsidiary company of NEA. (With inputs from RSS)
