Australian envoy Johnston calls on Minister Khadka

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 12: Ambassador of Australia to Nepal Leann Johnston paid a courtesy call on Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka on Monday.

In the meeting held at the Ministry of Energy, Minister Khadka expressed gratitude for the Australian support provided to Nepal and highly appreciated the role played by scholarships and capacity development programmes in strengthening Nepal's human resources.

Welcoming Ambassador Johnston, Minister Khadka recalled the 65th anniversary of Nepal-Australia diplomatic relations this year.

There is immense potential for cooperation in the fields of hydropower development, renewable energy, transmission system modernisation, climate-friendly irrigation, clean energy, infrastructure and technology between two nations, he said. He pledged to welcome Australian technology and investment in Nepal's green energy transformation journey.

During the meeting, Ambassador Johnston formally invited Minister Khadka to participate in the International Pumped Storage Hydropower Conference to be held in Paris, France on 8-10 September, 2025. 

Thanking for the invitation, Minister Khadka expressed his belief that the pumped storage project would make a significant contribution to identifying new opportunities in the energy sector and achieving energy mix.

During the meeting, Minister Khadka said that according to the roadmap, the target is to generate 28,500 megawatts of electricity by 2035, of which 13,500 megawatts will be consumed domestically and 10,000 megawatts will be exported to India and 5,000 megawatts to Bangladesh.

Ambassador Johnston congratulated Minister Khadka on the “Energy Development Roadmap 2081” prepared at his initiative and wished its successful implementation.

She expressed her belief that hydropower development will be beneficial for Nepal while maintaining environmental balance.

She said that Australia’s support and partnership will remain in this ambitious plan on hydropower development in Nepal.