Meeting of India-Nepal JSC on Cooperation in Power Sector

The Power/Energy Secretaries of India and Nepal co-chaired the 8th meeting of Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on Cooperation in Power sector that was held through video conferencing today. Mr. Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Power Secretary, Government of India was accompanied by Ambassador of India to Nepal, Mr. Vinay Mohan Kwatra and a 17 member delegation drawn from various Ministries and public sector undertakings of Government of India including NHPC Limited, NTPC Limited and the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu, while his counterpart, Mr. Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, Secretary (Energy) of Nepal was assisted by representatives of various Ministries and Departments of Government of Nepal. The Joint Working Group meeting at the level of Joint Secretaries was held yesterday in preparation of this meeting.

The JSC is the apex bilateral mechanism for enhancing and coordinating various Government-to-Government led initiatives in power sector. The meeting reviewed progress made on bilateral processes and initiatives in this sector. Both sides discussed, inter alia , development of suitable rules and guidelines for allowing cross border trade of electricity, development of energy banking mechanism, development of cross border high voltage transmission lines as well as reviewing the progress of the SJVN Limited- developed 900MW Arun-III Hydro Electric Project in Nepal and agreeing to further facilitate its expeditious implementation.

Both Governments have been coordinating closely with each other in this sector. Consequently, progress made in the last five years in this sector has been exemplary. This includes completion of South Asia’s first cross border 400 KV transmission line at Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar, agreement on funding modality for Gorakhpur-Butwal 400 KV line for which the construction will commence soon, and the brisk progress on the 900 MW Arun-III Hydro Electric Project. Both sides are also close to finalizing the regulatory modality for allowing cross border trade of electricity between the two countries.

Both sides reaffirmed their commitment to further strengthening the power sector cooperation between the two countries, including development of an integrated grid, building of more cross border transmission lines, as required, as well as investing in Nepal’s hydro and solar power projects. The positive and wide-ranging discussions today are expected to further support the expansion in power sector cooperation between India and Nepal.

Kathmandu, Nepal
December 11, 2020