Energy transition, energy mix, resilient and low cost energy are need of the hour: Experts Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka has said that the government is moving forward in a planned way to development an economy that is based on low carbon pursuing a strategy for sustainable and inclusive development of energy.
“Since Nepal is progressing to ultimately reach the destination of net zero emission through accomplishment of the goal of transition to the clean energy through renewable energy and energy efficiency, we expect support from national and international development partners towards this direction,” pointed out minister Khadka. He was speaking as a chief guest at the “Energy Transition for Resilient and Low Carbon Economy Summit 2025” organized by Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) in Kathmandu on Tuesday marking the “International Day of Clean Energy,”
“The Energy Development Road Map and Action Plan 2081″ recently adopted by the government as well as its policies, strategies and periodic plans relating to energy has given due importance to renewable energy and energy efficiency,” remarked Sarita Dawadi, secretary at Ministry of Energy. She expressed the hope that this summit will prove as a milestone in the areas of development of clean energy and energy efficiency and serve as a platform for the exchange of good practices and knowledge gained in this field.
“This summit has been successful in identifying opportunities and challenges in the field of clean energy development, prioritizing projects for investment and exchange of good practices and knowledge in the field of energy transition and development partnership based on climate change,” pointed out Madhu Prasad Bhetwal, secretary at the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat.
Executive Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre Navaraj Dhaka has said that AEPC being the prime government agency working in the field of renewable energy and energy efficiency, has played a key role in the areas of energy transition and energy security as well as increasing energy access.
Pippa Bird, Deputy Ambassador, British Embassy, has said that the future of energy transition is bright as energy security and economic development can be achieved through energy transition. Shedding light on the importance of energy transition and energy efficiency she thanked the AEPC for organizing this important summit that has helped in promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.
Elaborating on the possibility of energy transition in Nepal, Director General of ICIMOD Pema Gyamtso said that there is high possibility of energy transition in the areas of household works, agriculture and transportation. He expressed willingness to work with Nepal government in the areas of energy mix and energy transition.
Gauri Singh, deputy director general of International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) underscored the need for collaboration among all the stakeholders to tripling the deployment of renewable power generation and doubling energy efficiency by 2030 in the global context. “This summit is especially important as Nepal is having very clear target of generating 28,500 MW within a decade and the summit has brought together international players partner countries and also many stakeholders from private sector.”
Prof. Dr. Shobhakar Dhakal of Asian Institute of Technology, Thailand gave a keynote presentation on the theme “Energy Transition for Resilient and Low Carbon Economy: Global Experiences, Opportunities and Challenges for Nepal. He underscored the need for energy transition, energy mix and integration of scattered energy sources such as micro-hydro, solar energy, wind energy and bio-energy to the national grid in the context of Nepal and increasing efficiency and reliability of energy. “
Discussions were held on five different themes including ” Energy transition: sectoral needs, opportunities and challenges,” and “Energy transition: towards achieving net zero and resilient economy,”
The one-day summit was aimed at exploring energy transition needs in various sectors such as energy, transport, agriculture, households etc. and showcasing best practices and success stories and exploring opportunities for investment.