Nepal is set to host a 3-day Himalayan hydro expo between Jan 5 and 7 in Kathmandu to showcase the latest technologies from industry leaders in the country’s burgeoning power sector, the organizers said Friday.
The expo, which is being held for the first time in Nepal, will host more than 150 exhibitions from companies from China, India, South Korea, Japan, the U.S., Norway, Germany, Italy, and Russia, among others, said Shailendra Guragain, president of Independent Power Producers’ Association (IPPAN), the organizer of the expo.
“The aim of the expo is to bring in world-class technology in Nepal as our country moves forward in developing hydropower. The companies will showcase innovation, technologies such as tunnel boring machines, which the developed countries already use, but we are yet to introduce them,” Guragain told Anadolu Agency.
On the sidelines of the expo, technical sessions on energy efficiency, engineering efficiency, and technical will also be organized, he added.
Companies such as Germany’s Voith, Flo-well, Ape Power from India as well as Toshiba will showcase their technologies.
Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, National Planning Commission, the government think-tank and Nepal Electricity Authority, the state utility, will serve as partners of the event.
“Hydropower is not only about electricity, it’s also about water for drinking and irrigation. So we will bring together all the stakeholders including engineers, investors, water experts researchers. They will benefit from this,” Guragain said adding that they were expecting more than 100,000 visitors in the three-day event taking place in Bhrikutimandap Exhibition Complex in Kathmandu.
In recent months, Nepal held local parliamentary elections and provincial assemblies. The new government that will take over in January next year is expected to provide political stability and launch an infrastructure drive including hydropower in the impoverished country.
The current government pledged to produce 17,000 megawatts (MW) of hydroelectricity in next seven years.
Nepal has the potential to produce at least 40,000 MW of hydroelectricity, but it generates only about 900 MW, with imports from India meeting the rest of the demand for the energy-starved country.
By Deepak Adhikari in Kathmandu, Nepal
Anadolu Agency
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