Committee Calls for Overhaul in Electricity Trade Framework

The committee formed by the government to study power trade has recommended establishing a separate companies to manage domestic and cross-border electricity trade, alongside reforms in existing policies and laws.

Submitting its report to Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation Deepak Khadka on Monday, August 25, the committee stressed the need to link power trade with a long-term strategy, strengthen transmission infrastructure, and ensure access to regional markets, the state-run national news agency RSS reported.

The committee, coordinated by former secretary Dinesh Kumar Ghimire, included representatives from the Ministry of Energy, Department of Electricity Development, Electricity Regulatory Commission, Nepal Electricity Authority, experts, and the Independent Power Producers' Association of Nepal (IPPAN).

According to RSS, Minister Khadka assured that the government would ensure private sector involvement in both domestic and cross-border power trade. He said private participation would enhance competition, efficiency, and investment, contributing to the government’s target of generating 28,500 megawatts of electricity within a decade.