Kathmandu, Feb 14 (IANS) India and Nepal have agreed to resume talks on various mechanisms related to three multipurpose hydroelectric power projects – Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project, Saptakoshi High Dam Multipurpose Project and Sunkoshi Storage cum Diversion Scheme – the local media in Kathmandu reported on Friday following a meeting of the power exchange committee held in New Delhi, earlier this week.
According to Sandip Dev, the Joint Secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, the forthcoming talks will also focus on issues related to floods and irrigation.
Dev told Nepal’s leading daily Kathmandu Post that both sides have agreed to convene the sixth meeting of the Joint Expert Group to finalise the detailed project report of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project.
Both countries have been in regular contact at different levels to weed out issues arising out of joint projects. Nepalese Energy and Water Resources Minister Deepak Khadka also travelled to India to participate in the ‘India Energy Week’ organised by the Indian government.
Hydroelectric projects, one of the biggest areas of focus in Indo-Nepal cooperation, have faced various challenges due to a range of issues. The Sapta Koshi High Dam project which aimed at controlling floods in Nepal and India and generating hydropower was a cause of dispute between both nations over potential flooding and impact of local communities in Nepal. In 2023, India and Nepal agreed to reduce the height of the dam.
Implementation of the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project is the centerpiece of the Mahakali Treaty signed between the two countries in February 1996. The project aims at energy production and augmenting irrigation in India and Nepal.
In November 2024, during Khadka’s visit to India, both nations agreed to expedite hydropower projects and advance cooperation on energy, water resources, and other key areas.
Addressing the media, Director General of Nepal’s Department of Electricity Development Nabin Raj Singh, who was also part of the delegation stated, “The government of India has agreed to move forward Pancheshwar Project and the Nepalese side agreed to expedite the works relating to land acquisition for the Arun-3 Hydro-electric Project being developed by an Indian company”.
