Works on Upper Arun Hydroelectricity Project will be started soon: Energy Minister

KHANDBARI (SANKHUWASABHA), SEPTEMBER 10: Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, announced that the Upper Arun Hydropower Project will soon begin, with efforts underway to secure the necessary financial resources. Speaking at a press conference organized by the Nepal Press Union in Sankhuwasabha, Khadka emphasized his commitment to ensuring local participation in the project, including providing loans at concessional rates to underprivileged families.

Khadka aims for each household in Sankhuwasabha to hold shares worth Rs 500,000 in the project and expressed his vision of extending this model of share distribution to poor and underprivileged communities across the country.

Highlighting the importance of maximizing water resources for Sankhuwasabha's prosperity, Khadka also addressed ongoing discussions with Chief District Officers to resolve delays in constructing the national transmission line along the Koshi Corridor. He further promised nationwide electrification within two years, with private sector involvement in hydropower development.

The minister underlined the energy sector as a key driver of economic prosperity, reiterating the government's goal to produce 28,500 megawatts of electricity within the next decade. Sankhuwasabha alone holds the potential to generate 5,000 megawatts, he noted.

Additionally, Khadka advocated for subsidized electricity rates for government hospitals, schools, water supply, and irrigation projects, and assured that disputes over electricity tariffs for industrial trunk and dedicated lines would soon be resolved. "Industrialists must pay for the electricity they consume," he affirmed.