Nepal’s hydropower development plan hit a roadblock during the Maoist insurgency when even infrastructure projects were not spared. The insurgency scared away potential investors. Ironically, the country faced its worst power cuts resulting from 10 years of poor progress in the energy sector when a coalition led by Pushpa Kamal Dahal was in power. Dahal tried last year to redeem himself and his party by putting the blame on past governments. But his own effort to address the crisis with measures such as declaring a power emergency bore no fruit. Even the Pancheshwar Multi-purpose Project, which Dahal’s government took up with India, is now stalled as his party itself is opposing its implementation. The burden of history has now fallen on the shoulders of Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government.
As things stand, it would be unreasonable to expect the current government to miraculously rescue the country from another prolonged period of heavy power cuts. Dr Mahat rightly told this daily that thermal plants and additional imports from India are the best options the country has at the moment. But these are stop-gap measures that will be both expensive and insufficient in the long run. The country will eventually have to rely on its hydropower potential as affordable and sustainable source of power supply.
It is time that good projects like Upper Tamakoshi, Upper Seti and Budhi Gandaki are undertaken on war footing. Specifically, the committee constituted by the current government must function within the deadline of a month as claimed by Dr Mahat on policy recommendations for both identifying sites for alternative energy and other mega hydropower projects. A country that might not even have reached halfway of a bumpy and tortuous peace process cannot afford a crisis of modern-day basic need like electricity. Implementation of good power projects cannot wait until the conclusion of the peace process. Act quickly!
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