The Nepal Weekly 
October 12, 2022
Minister Pampha Bhhusal inaugurating NGHS
A grand meeting to discuss on hydrogen fuel technology and economic opportunities for Nepal was inaugurated Monday in Kathmandu. Green Hydrogen Summit (NGHS) 2022, the vent, is scheduled to takes place on October 10 and 11with the theme ‘An Antidote for Melting Himalayas’.
Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Ministry of Finance, Melbourne Institute of Technology Group Foundation, Kathmandu University and WindPower Nepal are jointly organising the seminar.
Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal inaugurated the summit. On the occasion, she said that many developed countries have started generating hydrogen fuel and policies for development and the best of utilisation. They are also engaged in research and development.
Minister Bhusal opined that the conference will provide guidelines for the country to be leading in the world in future in hydrogen production and supply.
“Fossil fuels have been causing threat to human civilization contributing to global warming and climate changes. Therefore, the natural resources like water resources Nepal has to be well utilised for the better living environment for the generations to come. The Government of Nepal will be fully supportive to such actions”, she added. This will help Nepal to utilise spill over electricity in wet season and off peak hours.
On the same occasion, Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma said that time has come to formulate appropriate policy for hydrogen development and also technology and foreign investment as well. Green hydrogen and ammonia to be produced in Nepal can compete in the international market as the country will be exporting such valuable and essential products, he opined.
Minister for Finance Janardan Sharma addressing NGHS
President of Melbourne Institute of Technology Foundation and former president of Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) Dr. Shesh Ghale, speaking at the inaugural session, appreciated the response of Government of Nepal on green hydrogen development in Nepal. He urged the government to prepare roadmap for develop green hydrogen economy soon.
Moreover, to make it a grand success, public, private and foreign investment is a need. Likewise, Nepal should be able to bring in social and climate funding systems, he added.
Chairperson of Global NRNA Foundation Binod Kunwar mentioned that hydrogen fuel can give long term benefit to Nepal for economic development. Therefore, non-resident Nepalis are interested to participate in its development. As exporting hydrogen fuel is easier than exporting of electricity through transmission, Nepal can harvest good income by producing hydrogen, Kunwar said.
Prof. DR. Bhola Thapa, vice chancellor of Kathmandu University informed that the university is conducting research on producing green hydrogen, green ammonia and urea. Government institutions are supporting the KU initiatives while international agencies are also cooperating with great deal of interests.
Director at Global Green Growth Institute Nepal Lesse Ringius said producing ammonia and chemical fertiliser can be a fruitful activity out of green hydrogen programme. As chemical fertiliser is one of the prioritised agricultural in-put, it will pay a desirable return.
Hydrogen occurs abundantly in nature and is a clean-burning molecule that helps to de-carbonise a range of sectors previously proven hard to clean. Green hydrogen powers steel, cement and transport industries which then emit water instead of CO2 without using fossil fuels. Green hydrogen can also produce green fertiliser which can ensure food safety and security and energy security through energy storage.
These capabilities make for a compelling argument that green hydrogen produced through electrolysis of water using electricity from renewable energy sources can power the production of green ammonia and green fertiliser to provide an antidote for net zero target.
The evolution of the hydrogen economy will depend on how the various segments of the value chain – upstream, midstream, and downstream – are integrated to deliver hydrogen at a minimum price.
The most commercially viable case for green hydrogen is green ammonia (NH3) for fertilisers. Integrating existing hydropower plants with green hydrogen facilities could help bring production costs down while increasing the revenue of existing hydropower companies.
NGHS is aimed at way out for studies on green hydrogen potential of production, storage and distribution, analyse potential of producing green ammonia, share knowledge on cost of technology and equipment global market, allure high volume of private investment in production of green hydrogen and urea, support achieving SDGs with priority of hydrogen production, roadmap for easier transportation of energy and support policy formation.
Moreover, it is crucially important to note that The Himalayas are highly vulnerable to global climate change which is impacting the region at a rapid rate. Climate change in the Himalayas directly affects the entirety of Nepal and its river systems, making Nepal one of the most climate change-affected countries in the world.
The event is set to take place on October 10 and 11, 2022 at Hotel Soaltee in Kathmandu. (BY R. P. Narayan)
