Parliamentary Committee Directs Smooth Construction of Rolwaling Khola Hydropower Project

The Agriculture, Cooperative, and Natural Resources Committee of the Federal Parliament has directed the government to facilitate the construction of the 922-megawatt Rolwaling Khola Hydropower Project.

The project is being promoted by Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited. Officials from the Ministry of Forests and Environment, Upper Tamakoshi Hydropower Limited, and other stakeholders participated in discussions during a meeting of the committee on Sunday, chaired by Chairperson Kusum Devi Thapa.

Following the discussions, the committee instructed the government to ensure smooth progress of the project’s construction and to provide necessary facilitation for amendments to the environmental management plan.

The committee noted that ambiguities arising from the Supreme Court’s directives on the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) report approved on March 19, 2023, and amendments to investment facilitation laws need clear policy decisions from the government.

It further directed the Ministry of Forests and Environment and the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation to take necessary steps to simplify construction processes for companies that have already secured survey and production permits and made investments, and to resolve legal complexities.