Government committed to achieving zero carbon emissions

Kathmandu, Feb 3: Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka has said that the government is committed to achieving the target of zero carbon emissions by 2045 under the Paris Agreement.     

During a discussion held by the Alternative Energy Promotion Center with development partners on Monday on the ‘Energy Development Roadmap-2081’ for the development of the renewable energy sector, he said that the government has been working on the development of renewable energy to achieve the target of zero carbon emissions.     

He mentioned that the government has set a target of generating 28,500 megawatts of electricity and consuming 1,500 kilowatts of energy per capita by 2035, and that strong efforts, investment and collaboration are required to achieve this. Development partners have thus an important role to play in Nepal moving towards a just energy transition.     

Member of the National Planning Commission, Dr RP Bichha, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Suresh Acharya, Secretary of the Ministry of Forest and Environment Dr Maheshwor Dhakal, former Secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, Economic Advisor to the Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Amit Shrestha and others emphasized on the development of renewable energy to mitigate the problem of climate change.     

Executive Director of the Alternative Energy Promotion Center Nawaraj Dhakal said that the energy development roadmap recently approved by the Council of Ministers includes provisions for renewable energy and that development partner agencies have an important role to play in the implementation of the roadmap.     

The discussion was attended by heads and representatives of more than a dozen donor agencies, including the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the Japan International Cooperation Agency, the German Federal Enterprise for International Cooperation, the United States Agency for International Development, the United Nations Development Program, the Norwegian Embassy, among others. (RSS)