Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Minister Anil Kumar Sinha stated that the government is working to develop a strong legal and policy foundation to promote the use of green energy. He emphasized that such measures are essential to achieve Nepal’s national goal of reducing carbon emissions to zero by 2045.
Speaking at the National Conference on Green Energy and Carbon Economy held today, Minister Sinha highlighted that policies are needed to fulfill the constitutional right of every citizen to a clean environment and to achieve sustainable development goals. He cited examples such as incentives for electrical appliances and vehicles, the target to achieve 500 MW of installed solar energy capacity by 2035, and recently established procedures for ethanol blending. He also mentioned that traditional kilns are being encouraged to switch to electric kilns through incentives.
Prakash Kumar Shrestha, Vice Chairperson of the National Planning Commission, said that with 60% of total energy consumption still reliant on imported fuels, all sectors must actively participate to meet the national carbon emission targets. He added that although policy clarity exists, implementation has been weak, and significant progress in attracting private sector investment has not yet occurred.
“Banks currently have NPR 11 trillion in loanable funds, and with low interest rates, this is an excellent opportunity to invest in green energy. The private sector must be made fully aware of this,” Shrestha said.
The Executive Director of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre stated that so far, 140 MW of electricity has been produced from renewable energy. To further expand, 27 MW of solar energy plants have been planned, along with 132 charging stations and 513 charging lanes to meet growing electricity demand. In irrigation, 4,137 solar pumps have been installed to reduce the consumption of imported fuel.
This article was originally published on https://bajarkochirfar.com. Translated with the help of AI and reviewed by our editorial team.
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