Renewable energy bill to be tabled within a month

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Jan. 27: Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Shakti Bahadur Basnet has said that the bill related to renewable energy will be tabled in the federal parliament within a month.

While addressing the International Day of Clean Energy and the 27th anniversary of the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Kathmandu on Friday, Minister Basnet said that the government was going to table the ‘Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill’ to the Parliament to address the changing conditions and demands of the times in the field of alternative energy and renewable energy.

He said that about 98 per cent of households have access to electricity across the country and made it clear that work to provide electricity to all households within the next one and a half years has made progress.

He said that the government was making a planned and meaningful effort to increase electricity consumption and make it available for other purposes as electricity is currently available only for lighting purposes.

As hydropower is also a renewable energy, he said that the government has given high priority to carbon trading, stressing that more benefits should be taken from it.

Stating that the recently concluded COP28 in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) also aimed to double the use and production of renewable energy by the year 2030, he said that the government would move ahead according to the same policy internally.

Making it clear that the government has always addressed the legitimate demands of the private sector, he said that the government was also working together with organisations or businessmen involved in the field of renewable energy.

Dr. Prabhu Budhathoki, a member of the National Planning Commission, said that with the aim of overall development of the energy sector, the government has made necessary legal and structural arrangements and implemented them.

Secretary of the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Gopal Prasad Sigdel said that Nepal was very vulnerable in terms of the impact of climate change and to reduce the impact of climate change, it was necessary to go into energy mix and create a suitable policy environment for it and hydroelectric projects, which are the main source of energy, as well as solar energy.

He also expressed his commitment that the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Bill, which is currently being drafted and is in the process, will be moved forward as soon as possible.

Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre Nawa Raj Dhakal said that the AEPC has been playing a significant role in providing access to electricity to the people even in the remote areas as per the goal of the government.

On the occasion, Dhakal presented an annual work progress of the centre for the last fiscal year as well as the current situation and future roadmap of Nepal in renewable energy and energy efficiency. Various organisations working in the field of renewable energy and employees who have served for 20 years in APEC were honoured on the occasion of the anniversary.