Nepal becoming self-reliant in energy, claims Prime Minister

 Though, Nepal has been importing, more than half of the electricity it consumes, from India at present, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today claimed that the country is heading toward becoming self-reliant in the energy sector.

Inaugurating the 400 kV substation at Dhalkebar in Dhanusha today, Oli claimed that the infrastructure will serve as the main gateway to import and export electricity to India. The substation was constructed with joint investment by the government of Nepal and Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the sole government power utility.

“We are becoming self-reliant in the energy sector,” the prime minister said adding that Nepal will be able to export electricity with the completion of Dhalkebar substation. “At present, we are self-reliant only in the rainy season,” he said, showing confident that Nepal will be completely self-reliant in the energy sector round the year in a couple of years.

The substation – constructed under the ‘National Electricity Development Decade’ programme enables NEA to exchange 1,000 MW to 1,200 MW of electricity with India via the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line, according to the NEA.

On the occasion, energy minister Top Bahadur Rayamajhi and minister for Urban Development Prabhu Shah were also present 

The 400 kV Dhalkebar substation has officially come online from today. The government has targeted to increase the electricity production to 3,000 MW in the current fiscal year, though its not possible in practical. Given the existing domestic demand of around 1,400 MW, there will be a surplus energy, if the government’s target is met. However, Nepal is importing 680 MW electricity from India at present. Within a couple of weeks, Nepal will add 100 MW more import – making a total of 780 MW import – from India to meet the domestic consumption.

But according to the government, it has also planned to develop 10,000 MW of electricity by 2025. In this context, the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line is considered the most strategic infrastructure for power trade with neighboring countries. It is also expected to help materialise the proposed energy banking between Nepal and India, the NEA claimed, adding that it had charged the substation in November with the completion of its construction. “The infrastructure now enables the NEA to also send electricity produced from Upper Tamakoshi to east and west for domestic consumption, apart from exporting energy to India.”

Dhalkebar substation charged at full capacity

 Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) completed the charging of the country’s first and the largest 400 kV capacity Dhalkebar substation at its full capacity today evening. 

“With the operation of the substation at its full capacity, the 400 kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line has also come into operation with full capacity from today, confirmed the authority. “Nepal will be able to transmit up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) of electricity through the the first-ever high-voltage 400 kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur cross-border transmission line.”

The substation – the major hub for power exchange between Nepal and India – will ease the process of importing power to meet the increasing demand of electricity in Nepal while exporting electricity to India when the country has surplus energy. Currently, the country has surplus electricity, claims the Independent Power Producers’ Association of Nepal (IPPAN). The government should create a favourable environment within the country for the consumption of surplus energy by encouraging the domestic industries to utilise the electricity, when it is surplus in off-peak hours – night night time – by providing them electricity at subsidised rates, the association suggested the government.

The operation of the 400 kV Dhalkebar substation will also be useful for transmitting reliable electricity within the country from the east to west and vie versa, though NEA is yet to strengthen its transmission network within the country.

The Dhalkebar substation is going to be the backbone of Nepal’s power sector as it connects east-west electricity transmission in the country. However, with the delayed construction of transmission lines across the country including transmission lines of Kabeli Corridor, Koshi Corridor, Sunkoshi Corridor and Trishuli Corridor, Nepal will not be able to fully utilise the substation sooner.

The timely completion of the transmission line projects will help the country take maximum benefit from the operation of the Dhalkebar substation that is an important milestone for Nepal’s hydropower sector.

Initially charged at 132 kV in January 2016, Dhalkebar substation was helpful in importing 80 MW of electricity from India. But the substation was charged at 220 kV voltage in July, 2018.

The construction of 132 kV substation was started in 2010, whereas the construction of 400 kV substation was started in September 2018. But the construction of 400 kV substation at Dhalkebar has been completed by ABB India Limited under the supervision of NEA Engineering Company.

Scheduled to be completed by December 2019, the contract for the construction of Dhalkebar substation project had been awarded to ABB India Ltd in December 2017. However, the Covid-19 pandemic has pushed the construction duration.

Construction of New Butwal substation nearing completion

Planned to be completed and bring into operation by this March, the construction of New Butwal substation at Sunwal of Nawalparasi is nearing completion.
According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, the substation is part of the move to reinforce the transmission system to facilitate bilateral and regional power trade, and enhance the national grid for domestic energy distribution.
“The project will be completed within the targeted time,” Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) managing director Kulman Ghising said, after a visit of the construction sites. Taking updates of the project with the the contractor company, he directed to complete the project within time. “Only the installation of the equipment is left," he said, asking to complete the civil structures and focus on the installation of equipment. “The NEA is there to help whenever there is any problem.”
“After the substation comes into operation, the technical leakage will be reduced by 4 per cent to 5 per cent, Ghising said, adding that the consumers will get reliable and sufficient power supply, and the problem of power cuts during summer will also be solved.
The Indian contractor Tata Project Ltd is planning to operate the substation by mid-April. The state power utility plans to evacuate electricity generated by schemes in the Kali Gandaki River basin through 220KV Kaligandaki Corridor transmission to New Butwal substation and to the national grid. The New Butwal substation aims to promote domestic power consumption and cross-border or regional electricity trade.
The second cross-border transmission line for electricity trade between Nepal and India will start from New Butwal substation. Nepal and India have agreed for electricity trade, construction, and implementation of New Butwal-Gorakhpur 400kV double-circuit transmission line. Built in about 20 bighas of land, New Butwal will be the second largest electricity hub after Dhalkebar substation at Dhanusha.
According to a report by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory’s Strategic Energy Analysis Centre of the US, Butwal in south-central Nepal is strategically located for cross-border energy trade between India and Nepal because of its proximity and ability to connect with India’s Uttar Pradesh state and the Northern Regional Load Dispatch Centre via Gorakhpur where power demand is high during the monsoon.
New Butwal substation is also the starting point of the second high capacity transmission link between Nepal and India for bulk movement of hydroelectricity. Another 400kV substation has also been planned at the site for cross-border energy exchange.
The government will construct another substation with a capacity of 400kV will be built at New Butwal from the grant provided by the US through Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC). The MCC will also build transmission line from Damauli of Tanahun to New Butwal.
Electricity transmitted through 132kV transmission line from Hetauda of Makwanpur to Bharatpur will be supplied to the area after trapping the electricity at East Chitwan substation.
Nepal and India – in October – agreed to fund the transmission line connecting Butwal to Gorakhpur in India through a commercial entity with both countries pledging equal entity in the funding of the project. The proposed transmission line is also a major component of the $630 million Nepal Compact, an agreement between the government of Nepal and Millennium Challenge Corporation of the US, which has stirred political controversy in Nepal.
Millennium Challenge Account-Nepal, the implementing agency of the transmission and road projects under the US grant, plans to set up a 400 kV transmission line from Damauli in Tanahu and connect it to New Butwal substation.
Also, the Nepal Electricity Authority is building a 220 kV Bardaghat-Butwal transmission line financed by the World Bank (WB) another 400 kV link to western Nepal, from Butwal to Kohalpur and to Upper Karnali via Surkhet, has been proposed to be built with preparatory studies ongoing under a $21 million grant from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
Nepal is currently trading up to 250 megawatts of electricity with India through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur setup, and work is underway to upgrade Dhalkebar substation to 400kV capacity in a bid to relay a larger amount of power. The move is also expected to allow the two countries to run their electricity grid in synchronous mode, and facilitate a smooth and reliable flow of electricity.

Nepal, China agree to conduct feasibility study of Kathmandu-Kerung railway service

Nepal and China agreed to start feasibility study of the Kathmandu-Kerung railway service.
The authorities from the two countries decided to start the feasibility study of the much-hyped cross border transportation project during a meeting in Kathmandu today. “The two countries had decided to expedite the process of constructing the railway line during the state visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Nepal in October,” according to a press note issued by the Foreign Ministry.
“A 21-member Chinese team arrived Kathmandu yesterday to implement the decision taken during Xi’s visit,” the press note reads, adding that the authorities of the two countries signed an agreement during today’s meeting to start the feasibility study.
The representatives of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transportation and visiting officials from China’s National Railway Administration – on the occasion – divided the responsibilities during the meeting.
“The Chinese side will conduct aerial mapping and geographical study, while the Nepali side will prepare the environment impact assessment report and provide security to the Chinese team,” informed the director general of the Railway Department Balaram Mishra. “The Chinese side will also prepare the detailed project report at its own expense,” he said, adding that the Chinese side has, however, maintained that it needs to study the project in detail as it is being constructed in one of the most challenging terrains in the world.
The Chinese side has, though not in clear words, been repeatedly saying that construction of much-hyped Kathmandu-Kerung railway is not a cake walk rather a challenging task, and takes long time.

SAARC Chamber organises three-day Startups Boot Camp

The SAARC Chambers of Commerce and Industry (CCI) 3-day boot camp for starts up kicked off in Male, Maldives today. It is aimed at providing support to innovative companies to access new markets and grow their businesses by integrating flexible electronics technologies into advanced products and services. The third camp – an initiative of SAARC CCI Startups’ Boot Camps series – is being organised by SAARC Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SAARC CCI) in partnership with the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom (FNF).
Minister of Economic Development of Republic of Maldives Fayyaz Ismail will grace the inaugural session of the camp as chief guest and will address the entrepreneurs. Minister of State for Economic Development of Maldives Neeza Imad, President of Maldives National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MNCCI) Ismail Nooradeen and vice chair of SCWEC Ms. Shaira Saleem will also grace the occasion.
The selected thirty-two startups, who qualified for the SAARC CCI’s Startup Boot camp ‘Strengthening Startup Ecosystems in South Asia: Cross-Border Boot Camps for Innovative Entrepreneurs Maldives’, will be mentored with leading mentors from India and Maldives by sharing their own experiences, helping teams to address their weakness in business and economic knowledge. Mentors usually have experience working through the same or similar problems and can build a sort of a ‘case study’ for the mentee to think about and work through. Mentors then help the mentee examine and solve their own problem, but the emphasis is always on helping the mentee come up with their own solution.

Two-day commerce joint secretary-level meeting in Delhi next week

Nepali and Indian Commerce Ministry officials are scheduled to meet next week in New Delhi to discuss issues related to trade and commerce. The meeting on Thursday will also review the Nepal-India bilateral trade treaty, according to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies.
Though the meeting will not be decisive on reviewing the trade treaty, the two-day meeting will focus on simplifying the existing barriers to bilateral trade. The two-day meeting will dwell on ways to address Nepal’s ballooning trade deficit with India and introduce and amend provisions in the trade treaty to ease bilateral trade, the ministry claimed, adding that adding that Nepal’s priority will be to simplify country’s trade with India by addressing tariff and non-tariff barriers. “The meeting will also finalise agendas for reviewing trade treaty, which were discussed during previous two meetings.”
This is the third time that the two countries are sitting together to discuss the review of the trade treaty. “Nepal has also urged Indian authorities to allow shipment of bulk cargo from additional entry points,” joint secretary at the ministry Navaraj Dhakal said, adding that imported bulk cargo from third countries currently can be transported only via Brigunj. “Currently, bulk cargo imported from third countries through Kolkata, Haldiya or Visakhapatnam ports can be transported only to the Birgunj border point in Nepal.”
Bulk cargo includes fertilizer, sugar, soybean, salt, oil cake and raw plastic materials. “Nepal has also urged Indian authorities to lift quantitative import restrictions on different products, including vegetable ghee and yarn,” he added.
Nepal has also been asking India to allow the use of additional sea ports. India has agreed to allow Nepal to use two other sea ports at Dhamra in Orissa and Mundra in Gujarat. Nepal seeks to use these ports as alternatives to Kolkata and Visakhapatnam.
Likewise, India has been asking Nepal to lift the 5 per cent agriculture service fee charged on imported Indian farm items but Nepal has been refusing to cancel the fee stating that it would affect the competitiveness of Nepali agricultural products.
Nepal and India are also looking forward to using inland waterways to transport cargo from Indian ports to the Nepali border. According to the ministry, India has started inland waterways from Kolkata to Varanasi along the Ganga River. India has expressed readiness to extend the routes up to the Nepal border along the Narayani River once the infrastructure is built in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.
The meeting will likely finalise the amendments planned to be made to the Treaty of Transit to streamline trade, which will be approved by the Nepal-India Intergovernmental Committee – a mechanism to solve trade-related issues between the two countries – soon.
Earlier, Commerce Ministry officials of both the countries had held review meeting on the bilateral trade treaty in New Delhi on August 9 and in Pokhara on February 7 and 8.
“The joint secretary-level meet will discuss finalising the agenda, which was sent to the second round of meetings held last March,” according to Dhakal.
Developing infrastructure at the customs points on the border between the two countries was also discussed at the last trade talks, he said, adding that India has provided 22 designated routes for bilateral trade. “India has upgraded the Birgunj-Raxaul customs checkpoint while work at the Biratnagar-Jogbani point is nearing completion, but little progress is being made in the construction of infrastructure at the Bhairahawa-Sunauli and Nepalgunj-Rupaidiha points.”
A cabinet meeting last Tuesday formed a nine-member Nepali team led by Dhakal to participate in the talks. The committee-led by joint secretary at the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Nabaraj Dhakal comprises representatives from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Department of Customs and Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development.
The last time the treaty was revised was in 2009.

Fuel prices drops after cross-border petroleum pipeline comes into operation

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has reduced the price of diesel, petrol and kerosene by Rs 2 per liter effective from today noon.
The state-owned oil monopoly confirmed that after the decision to lower the price of the petroleum products, petrol will cost Rs 107 per liter in Kathmandu valley, while diesel and kerosene will cost for Rs 97 per liter each. “The decision to revise price downward has been taken after formal launch of the India-Nepal cross border petroleum pipeline from Motihari to Amlekhgunj,” the NOC said, adding that the prime ministers of Nepal and India jointly inaugurated the cross border petroleum pipeline today morning.
Jointly inaugurated by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli from Kathmandu and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi from New Delhi through a remote control, the 69-kilometer petroleum pipeline has helped reduce the price of petroleum products as expected, the NOC said, adding that supply of fuel from the pipeline is estimated to save Rs 2 to Rs 5 per liter in transportation cost, apart from the guarantee of smooth supply and efficiency.
The first cross-border petroleum pipeline in South Asia can pump NOC, however, has also attributed the reduction in petroleum prices to downward revision in prices in the international market, savings from the supply of fuel through the newly inaugurated cross-border pipeline and fluctuation in foreign currency exchange.
NOC – issuing a press note today – said that the price has been revised according to its 'automated pricing mechanism' system. Under the mechanism, NOC revises the fuel prices in line with the fluctuation of prices of petroleum products in the international markets, based on the price it receives from its sole supplier Indian Oil Corporation (IOC).

Nepali, Indian PM jointly inaugurate cross border fuel pipeline

Prime Ministers from Nepal and India today jointly inaugurated the first cross-border petroleum pipeline in South Asia through a video conference via remote control. Both the prime ministers switched on the pipeline from their respective offices at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu and Hyderabad House in New Delhi via videoconferencing.
“The formal inauguration took place after Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi pressed a switch through a live video conference connecting the Prime Minister’s Office at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu, and Office of the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi with Amlekhgunj-based oil depot of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and Motihari-based depot of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC),” according to a Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC).
“I thank my friend Modiji and the Government of India for the completion of the project ahead of the deadline. Congratulations to the Nepali team associated with the project,” Oli tweeted, after the inauguration.
Likewise, Modi wrote in a tweet: “It's a matter of great satisfaction that South Asia's first-ever cross-border petroleum pipeline has been completed in a record time. This project has been completed in half the time than expected. The credit goes to your leadership, Government of Nepal and our joint efforts.’
The 69-kilometre-long pipeline will transport fuel from India’s Barauni refinery in Bihar to Amalekhgunj in Nepal. Of the 69 kilometres, some 36 kilometres of the pipeline is on the Nepali side and the rest on the Indian side.
In Singha Durbar foreign minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, minister for Industry, Commerce and Supplies Matrika Prasad Yadav, Indian ambassador to Nepal Manjeev Singh Puri were present, whereas Nepali ambassador to India Nilambar Acharya was present with the Indian Prime Minister Modi in New Delhi during the inauguration. Likewise, executive director of Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) JP Sinha handed over diesel in a pot to executive director of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) Surendra Paudel after the inauguration by both the prime ministers.
First proposed in 1996, the Motihari-Amlekhgunj cross border petroleum pipeline finally moved forward after Indian PM Modi’s visit to Kathmandu in 2014. Then Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas Dharmendra Pradhan and then Commerce and Supplies Minister Sunil Bahadur Thapa signed a pact in August 2015 to get the pipeline project rolling. But the devastating earthquakes in 2015 delayed the construction of the project, finally completing before the deadline, in fact in record time, also making it the fastest completed bilateral project between the two countries.
If operated for 15 hours daily, the 10-inch diameter pipeline with a capacity of 2 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) can supply around 4,000 kilolitres of petroleum products in a day and 294-kiloliters per hour. The Nepal-India cross border petroleum pipeline is expected to help solve the oil storage problem in Nepal apart from ensuring continuous, quality and eco-friendly supply of petroleum products to Nepal, and reduce transit costs that will bring the price of the petroleum prices down.
The supply of fuel from the pipeline is estimated to save Rs 2 to Rs 5 per liter spent in transportation of the products through tankers.
According to a press note issued by the Embassy of India in Kathmandu, the pipeline is equipped with the latest SCADA tele-supervisory system and the most advanced leak detection system. “The signals of any tinkering or damage to the pipeline will be received through the optic fibre cable along the pipeline at the control centres, including at Amlekhgunj depot,” the press note reads adding that the total project cost stands at Rs 3.5 billion Indian Currency (IC), out of which Rs 750 million IC is borne by the NOC and the remaining portion is covered through Indian grants. “The IOC and NOC are also working to build an additional storage facility at Amlekhgunj depot, which will augment the storage of petroleum products in Nepal.”
IOC has started supplying petroleum products to NOC way back in 1974.

PM Oli, Modi to inaugurate oil pipeline tomorrow

Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi will virtually inaugurate the first cross-border petroleum pipeline in South Asia tomorrow through video conference.
According to the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies (MoICS), the formal inauguration will be marked by pressing a switch button via remote control by the executive heads of both countries through a live video conference connected simultaneously in between the Prime Minister’s Office at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu and Office of the Indian Prime Minister in New Delhi.
“The two heads of states are scheduled to press the pipeline switch that opens the valve of the petroleum pipeline at the presence of high-level government dignitaries of both countries at the conference,” informed NOC deputy executive director Sushil Bhattarai.
The Amlekhgunj-based oil depot of Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) and Motihari-based depot of the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) will witness the official ceremony of inauguration on the ground by handing over a bottle of diesel from the pipeline among the officers of the IOC and NOC.
The NOC and IOC had successfully concluded the ‘testing transfer’ of the Motihari-Amlekhgunj pipeline project last month. The IOC – through its refinery in Motihari – had supplied diesel to NOC’s Amlekhgunj-based depot last month during the testing transfer. However, NOC had unloaded only 1,000 kilolitres of the 3,100 kilolitres of diesel supplied by IOC via the pipeline to test the newly constructed tanks at Amlekhgunj.
According to the NOC, the pipeline is able to supply 394 kilolitres of petroleum products per hour. “In the initial phase, NOC plans to receive only diesel, which is about the 70 per cent of total petroleum product imports, through the pipeline,” the NOC informed, adding that some 3,000 kilolitres of diesel will be imported per day through the pipeline, after the pipeline is formally inaugurated.
Though, the Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline was first proposed in 1996, it finally took off during Indian Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Kathmandu in 2014. The two governments inked an agreement to construct the first cross border pipeline – that is expected to reduce the cost of transportation of petroleum products worth Rs 1 billion – in the South Asia in August 2015. But, the project construction was again delayed due to devastating earthquake of 2015. “After the commercial operation of the pipeline, it will bring down fuel price by at least Re 1 per litre in the domestic market,” according to the NOC.

Cross border petro pipeline to open from next month

The first cross border petroleum pipeline in South Asia will start commercial operation by the first week of August following virtual inauguration of the Nepal-India bilateral project by the heads of the states.
The Motihari-Amlekhgunj oil pipeline project has been completed and is awaiting its formal inauguration by the Prime Ministers of Nepal KP Sharma Oli and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, according to the state oil monopoly. “The two Prime Ministers will officially open the fuel trade via the pipeline through the remote control, though the date for the official inauguration is yet to be fixed.”
Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC), the two governments are working to ensure that inauguration of the project takes place in the first week of August. “The virtual inauguration of the project will be done through video conferencing, where the two prime ministers will press a button in New Delhi and Kathmandu, resulting in opening of the valve of the petroleum pipeline,” the petroleum monopoly informed.
First proposed in 1996, the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline memorandum of understanding was signed with Nepal Oil Corporation at the junior executive level a year later. In 2004, the two sides upgraded the agreement to the chief executive level. However, due to a number of legal hurdles, the project failed to take off. The project finally moved closer to reality during Indian PM Modi’s visit to Kathmandu in 2014. The then supply minister Sunil Bahadur Thapa and Indian state minister for petroleum and natural gas Dharmendra Pradhan signed an agreement on August 24, 2015 on constructing the Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline within 30 months, though the project was delayed due to devastating earthquake. But still Motihari-Amlekhgunj petroleum pipeline is the only mega project completed in time, apart from being the bilateral project completed in time.
“The NOC and Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) today successfully tested the Motihari-Amlekhguni pipeline project,” the NOC said, adding that the IOC – through its refinery in Motihari – had supplied diesel to NOC’s Amlekhgunj-based depot yesterday, and received it today. “However, NOC will unload only 1,000 kilolitres of the 3,100-kilolitre diesel supplied by IOC via the pipeline to test the newly constructed tanks at Amlekhgunj.”
Though the project was estimated to cost Rs 2.75 billion Indian Currency (IC) with Indian government injecting Rs 2 billion IC and Rs 750 million IC by NOC and the remaining Indian grants, the final project cost escalated to almost Rs 3.25 billion IC. “The 69.2-km-long pipeline was completed with the budget of Rs 5.18 billion,” the NOC added. Of the Motihari- Amlekhgunj pipeline’s total length, 36.2 km lies within Nepali territory. The fuel pumping facilities will be located in Motihari, India. It is estimated that 300 kilolitres to 350 kiloliters of diesel can be supplied through the pipeline per hour.
The cross border petro pipeline is going to save NOC’s around Rs 2 billion – in transportation and ensure smooth supply of diesel, even during the strikes in Terai – helping it to bring down the petroleum price in the domestic market.
Under the first phase of the project, a pipeline will be laid from Raxaul to Amlekhgunj. In the second phase, it will be extended to Kathmandu.
Though some of the energy experts claim that the cross border pipeline will make Nepal further dependent on India because Nepal has to deal with a single company, officials say the pipeline will be a boon for the country, not only in reducing transportation costs and eliminating the hassles of hiring tanker trucks but also running operation during strikes that often hamper petroleum imports through the Indian border. “Most importantly, the pipeline will end fuel adulteration,” the NOC claimed, adding that fuel adulteration is a major problem. “The Nepal Bureau of Standards and Metrology reports revealed that the diesel sold in the valley is heavily adulterated.”

Energy regulators meeting to finalise SAARC Framework Agreement

The fourth meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) Council of Experts of Energy Regulators (CEERE) started today in capital city Male of Maldives.
The two-day meeting will finalise the draft road-map on initiating a regional power trade through the implementation of the SAARC Framework Agreement and implementing Electricity. The SAARC framework agreement on energy was signed between member countries during the 2011 SAARC Summit held in Addu City.
The meeting – held to finalise the roadmap draft of the SAARC Framework Agreement for Energy Cooperation (Electricity) – was inaugurated by the Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail.
Some 23 delegates from SAARC are participated in the meeting that will conclude tomorrow.
The agreement is expected to facilitate assistance for projects pertaining to renewable energy and allow the SAARC nations to gain technical and technological advancements. The agreement will also allow cross-border electricity trade among the regional intergovernmental organisation.
The framework agreement was signed by all member states on November 27, 2014, during the 18th SAARC Summit held in Nepal. Initially compiled during the 17th SAARC Summit in 2011, the framework aims at promoting regional cooperation, energy efficiency, effective energy distribution and conservation.