Government Invites Private Sector to Invest in 14 Hydropower Projects

The Department of Electricity Development has invited expressions of interest (EOIs) from eligible companies for the construction of 14 hydropower projects with a combined installed capacity of 281.63 megawatts.

Issuing a public notice on Tuesday, the department called for EOIs to develop the projects under a public–private partnership framework. The projects will be implemented under the Build, Operate and Transfer (BOT) model.

The department has invited interested and qualified Nepali hydropower companies or their joint venture (JV) groups to submit EOIs for the projects.

Director General of the department, Manadevi Shrestha, said EOIs were sought to move forward with the construction of projects under the department’s project basket through a competitive process in accordance with the Public–Private Partnership and Investment Act and related regulations.

She said the notice was reissued for projects that did not submit EOIs when they were first announced. The department has adopted a policy of advancing large- and medium-sized hydropower projects in partnership with the private sector, she added.

According to the department, developer companies will be selected through competitive evaluation in line with the Public–Private Partnership and Investment Act, 2018, and the Public–Private Partnership and Investment Regulations, 2020. The evaluation of EOIs will be based on technical capacity (30 per cent), financial capacity (40 per cent) and project development experience (30 per cent).

Interested and eligible companies must submit their EOIs by 12 noon on January 16. The EOIs received will be opened at 1 pm on the same day, the notice said.