The Nepal Weekly 
November 28, 2023
Minister for Energy, Irrigation and Water Resources, Shakti Basnet has said that Nepal government is considering to provide renewable energy solutions, particularly solar photovoltaic system to the victims of Jajarkot earthquake, who have become homeless due to the November 3 earthquake that killed at least 154 people in Jajarkot and Rukum West districts of Nepal. During the strong earthquake at least 62,000 houses were partially damaged and more than 26,500 houses were completely destroyed.
Minister Basnet said this while speaking as chief guest at a workshop organized by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Kathmandu on Sunday. AEPC, is a government body working towards promotion of energy efficiency and renewable energy across Nepal. The programme was organized on the occasion of successful cominstallation of around 1,400 solar photovoltaic systems in the country with the financial assistance of German government and KFW Bank, Germany. Under the three year assistance programme, 1,383 institutional soalar photovoltaic systems have been implemented and 90 rural solar drinking water projects have been completed with 5.7 million the assistance from government of Germany besides Nepal government’s funding of around 1.4 million Euro and local community’s contribution of around 4.6 million Euro.
“We are eager to collaborate with our development partners as well as private sector for working towards bigger initiatives in future,”
remarked Nawa Raj Dhakal, executive director of AEPC. AEPC has been successful in promoting renewable energy technologies and addressing energy poverty in Nepal, he added. “The activities being carried out by AEPC in clean energy sector for the past two and a half decade are contributing towards reducing carbon emission, ensuring reliable power supply, generating employment and income generating activities, enhancing energy security and helping to reduce dependency on imported fossil fuel,” pointed out Dhakal.
