INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
SANKHUWASABHA, JUNE 4Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' has said that the government has placed the
development of the energy sector in high priority.
Promotion of PoAHS remains govt top priority: PM Dahal
Government has carried out bold and pro-people works: PM Dahal
Inaugurating the 'break through' of the tunnel of Arun-3 Hydropower Project
based at Amrang, Makalu rural municipality-5 in Sankhuwasabha today, he stated that the government which is moving ahead prioritizing
graduating to a developed country status in 2026 and attaining the sustainable development goals by 2030 has accorded high priority to the
infrastructure development."I have been directly and indirectly acquiring information about this Project
It is currently under construction stage after the signing of the power development agreement on November 25, 2014
I am pleased to know that it has made 74.09 percent progress towards production and 37.95 percent progress towards the transmission line,"
he said.
Prime Minister Dahal expressed the confidence that on completion this project will make a significant contribution
in the power trade sector of Nepal."I direct the sides concerned to complete the remaining works of the project in the stipulated time,
extending the required cooperation and facilitation in acquiring the land necessary for it," PM Dahal said.Stating that the government has
placed the development of energy sector in high priority in the budget for the upcoming fiscal year, he said the capacity of the national
power system would be increased to 4500 megawatts, including the 900 megawatts electricity to be generated from this project."I make special
request to the political parties, the civil society and the locals active at the local level for making the necessary facilitation for the
timely completion of the project in view of the government bearing an economic loss of Rs 22.7 million per day if the commercial production
is not started on the stipulated date or if power production is delayed for some reason," he added.Stating that he is aware of the demands
of the locals affected by the project, the Prime Minister said the government is serious about addressing their concerns.As he said, it
would be better to seek a solution through cooperation and facilitation to any challenges in the development endeavors
It will be for the collective interest of all of us, he added.On the occasion, Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Shakti
Bahadur Basnet, expressed his hope that the project will contribute significantly to the promotion of Nepal's energy sector.He also reminded
of the government's target of generating 28,500 megawatts of electricity in the next 12 years.India's ambassador to Nepal, Naveen
Srivastava, said the project is important in the course of the implementation of the agreement of power trade of 10,000 mw between Nepal and
India in the next 10 years.Arun has high potential for power generation and such potentialities should be explored through a collaborative
effort between the two countries, he asserted
As he said, the government of India is ready to cooperate with Nepal to explore the possibilities for launching other projects based in the
Arun River.Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam's Chief Managing Director Sushil Kumar Sharma said Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has been
facilitating the implementation of the project since the beginning.So far the project reports 75 percent progress, he said, urging the Prime
Minister to enable the atmosphere to complete it on time
He insisted on the upgrading of the Koshi Highway and the facilitation of the land acquisition procedures for the construction of a
transmission mine.He advised the government to form a high-level coordination committee and to seek solutions to the challenges regarding
the project implementation in collaboration with the Investment Board of Nepal.The project is expected to enter the production phase by
The production of 900 MW of electricity will be supported by tour turbines of 225 MW each.Its power house is based in Pukuwa of Chichila
rural municipality-3 and the project will have an 11.8-kilometer tunnel.Investment Board CEO Sushil Bhatta and the local people's
representatives were also present on the occasion
The project is being developed by India's public company Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam and of the powers to be generated by it, Nepal will have
access to 21.9 percent of the production (around 200 MW) free of cost, and the remaining will be exported to India
It will come to the ownership of Nepal after 25 years of the commencement of the power production.It was jointly inaugurated by the then
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 11, 2018
Its PDA was observed on November 26, 2014.
This article first appeared/also appeared in https://thehimalayantimes.com
