Electricity Bill to be presented in parliament within a week: Minister Basnat

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 29: Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, has committed to presenting the Electricity Bill in the parliament within a week.

This bill, deemed crucial for the comprehensive development of the country's energy sector, has received the endorsement of the Legislation Committee of the Council of Ministers and has already been submitted to the Council of Ministers, according to Minister Basnet.

Speaking at an event organized by the National Grid Company Limited yesterday, Minister Basnet highlighted that the government is actively working to achieve tangible outcomes in the energy sector.

He mentioned that the current government has been promoting domestic consumption of electricity, as well as the development and expansion of transmission infrastructure. Additionally, Minister Basnet revealed that the government is in the process of formulating a 10-year action plan spanning from 2023 to 2035 for the integrated development of the energy sector.

He emphasized that the government's vision, encapsulated in the roadmap "Energy for All and Energy for Prosperity," encourages the private sector to invest fearlessly and confidently in Nepal's energy sector.

Likewise, Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, the Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, informed that commercial transmission lines are being constructed to provide relief to entrepreneurs in the energy sector.

He explained that now the private sector can transmit electricity generated from their hydro power projects through the transmission lines by paying a certain fee.

Ghimire expressed confidence that energy sector investors would benefit from the government's efforts, which have yielded visible results.

Dr. Netra Gyawali, the Executive Director of the National Transmission Grid Company, stated that his company is actively engaged in the development of transmission lines as an associated and complementary entity.

During the event, Dr. Gyawali signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with promoters of seven different hydropower projects for the utilization of the transmission line.