Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level JSC meeting to be held from today

KATHMANDU: A meeting of the Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) is going to be held starting from today to discuss the ways of power trade and bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the meeting is taking place in person, which was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the last meeting held in Bangalore, India.

In the meeting beginning on Wednesday, the Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Devendra Karki would lead the Nepali team while Indian Energy Ministry’s Secretary Alok Kumar would lead the Indian team.

A joint-secretary-level committee to be held on Wednesday will prepare the agenda of the meeting while the secretary-level meeting will meet on Thursday. 

Nepal is preparing to table proposals for some projects of transmission line and power trade, officials said.  

Likewise, Nepal would propose the export of 850 megawatts of power to India from the coming monsoon. So far, Nepal has received permission to export only 39 megawatts of power produced from the Devighat Hydropower Project and Trishuli Hydropower Project.

Similarly, discussions would be held regarding the progress of the Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line, the second trans-border transmission line being developed between Nepal and India.

The officials said discussions would be held on Kataiya-Kushwahaba 132 KV transmission line, the Raxaul-Parwanipur transmission line and New Nautanahawa-Mainiya 132 KV transmission line. 

According to the Ministry, project and transmission line construction of Arun-III and the project itself was discussed. An Indian company is developing the Arun-III project of 900 megawatt capacity in Sankhuwasabha. RSS