Noting that previous governments had different commitments in their pledges and implementation was done in different ways, he said that the current government has included the issues as per the commitments in government documents.
We use Google Cloud Translation Services. Google requires we provide the following disclaimer relating to use of this service:
This service may contain translations powered by Google. Google disclaims all warranties related to the translations, expressed or implied, including any warranties of accuracy, reliability, and any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement.
Ganesh Karki, chairman of the Independent Power Producers Association of Nepal (IPPAN), has said that private sector energy promoters are forced to pay the bank's principal and interest from their own resources due to the delay in the construction of transmission lines. He said that the government should give high priority to the development of transmission infrastructure.
At the 24th annual general meeting of IPPAN held on Friday, Karki said that the government has addressed many demands of the energy sector through the budget, policy and program and 100-point action plan and stressed on its effective implementation. Stating that previous governments had made various commitments in the pledges and the implementation was done in a different manner, he said that the current government has included the issues as per the commitments in government documents.
According to him, the government has set a target of generating 30,000 megawatts of electricity in the policy and program. Arrangements have been made to arrange a single-door system to facilitate the forest-related process and to cancel the agreements of projects that have not progressed despite signing a power purchase agreement (PPA). However, he said that some projects may not be able to move forward due to the government's own policy and procedural reasons, so attention should also be paid to that.
Recalling that the government has committed to signing a power purchase agreement (PPA) within 180 days, Karki expressed confidence that 100 days have passed and the government will fulfill its commitment within the remaining period. 'After the government listened to our demands, I feel that the issues we raised are justified,' he said.
According to Karki, files of 38 projects are currently stalled in the Ministry of Forests. He said that the energy sector cannot gain momentum without releasing those files soon. He said that the proposed 'Sunset Law' for some reforms in the energy sector may take a long time to be brought through the parliament, so if necessary, it should be implemented through an ordinance.
He complained that decisions affecting the private sector will be implemented from the day after the budget, but the system to provide relief to investors will not be implemented on time. 'The system that is inconvenient for us will be implemented immediately, but the decision to make it easier will take years to be implemented,' he said.
Stating that the transmission lines of the Dordi Corridor, which should have been completed in 2075 BS, are not yet ready, Karki said that some projects have been in a 'contingency' state for three years. He said that due to the lack of transmission lines, even projects ready to generate electricity have not been put into operation and the promoters have to bear the financial burden.
He said that about 100 hydropower projects are currently facing problems related to RCOD (Revised Commercial Operation Date) and said that the government should take special initiatives to resolve it. He also claims that the development of the energy sector will gain further momentum if the electricity trade and transmission line construction are opened up to the private sector.
