NEW DELHI, Dec 13: India and Nepal have reiterated their commitment to further improve cooperation between the two countries in the power sector, including the implementation of an integrated grid and construction of further cross-border transmission lines as required.
The understanding was reached at a meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on power co-operation held on Friday which was co-chaired by the power secretaries of India and Nepal. Sanjiv Nandan Sahai, Power Secretary, India was accompanied by Vinay Mohan Kwatra, Ambassador of India to Nepal, members of the Indian Embassy along with a 17-member delegation from different Government of India ministries and public sector undertakings. The Nepalese side was represented by Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, Secretary of Energy of Nepal, accompanied by members of different ministries and government departments.
The meeting also focussed on India’s investment in Nepal’s hydro and solar power projects. Positive and wide-ranging discussions are expected to further encourage the expansion of cooperation in the power sector between India and Nepal.
In a statement the Indian Embassy in Kathmandu stated the JSC is an apex bilateral platform for enhancing and organising numerous government-to-government programmes in the power sector. The meeting discussed the progress made on bilateral processes and programmes in this field. The two sides addressed, inter alia, the establishment of acceptable rules and guidelines to facilitate cross-border trade in electricity, the development of an energy banking system, the development of cross-border high-voltage transmission lines and the analysis of the success of SJVN Limited (a mini ratna company) developed 900MW Arun-III Hydro Electric Project in Nepal and decided to further promote its accelerated implementation.
“In the area of Power, both governments have been working closely with each other. As a result, the improvement achieved in this field over the last five years has been outstanding. This includes the completion of South Asia’s first 400 KV cross-border transmission line at Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar, an agreement on the financing of the Gorakhpur-Butwal 400 KV line for which construction will soon begin, and fast progress on the 900 MW Arun-III Hydro Electric Project. Both sides are also close to finalising the regulatory modalities to facilitate cross-border trade in electricity,” the statement said.
(Venkatesh Iyer)
