Kathmandu, Jan. 20
The Alternative Energy
Promotion Centre (AEPC) is celebrating the International Clean Energy Day 2025
with various programmes and activities.
January 26 is being
celebrated as the International Day of Clean Energy to mark the development and
various initiatives in clean and renewable energy. The United Nations has
initiated this celebration since 2024 and it is observed with various
programmes and events across the world.
Executive Director of
the AEPC, Nawa Raj Dhakal, informed at a press meet organised at his office on
Monday that the Centre will organise an interaction with the clean and
renewable energy stakeholders on January 26 and meeting with the development
partners on January 27 while ‘Energy transition for resilient and low carbon
economy summit 2025 will be held on January 28’.
"Development
partners meet is being organised to update the international development
partners about Nepal's policy and programmes and initiatives for the promotion
and development of clean energy and get input for their priority areas,"
said Dhakal.
Likewise, the summit
will bring together the clean energy stakeholders to deliberate on the possible
future policies and strategies. It is being organised with the aim to identify
the sectorial needs, opportunities and challenges, and prioritization of
bankable projects and finding opportunities for investment and resource
mobilization for energy transition.
It also aims to share
success projects and development cooperation in energy sector, showcase
potential bankable projects and investment promotion, and produce knowledge
materials.
According to Dhakal,
especially at a time while Nepal is graduating to a developing nation from the
Least Developed Country (LDC) status by 2026 and funds for clean and renewable
energy are becoming scarce, we need to constantly work with the potential
development partners in order to collaborate and cooperate in the sector and
ensure Nepal gets better access to global carbon and energy funds.
"We have been
focusing on alternative energy options for the people who lacked access to the
national grid and other alternatives like biogas projects," he said.
About 98 per cent people
have access to energy and role of AEPC will be instrumental in expanding the
facility to the remaining 2 per cent people.
So, it has given
priority to micro-hydro and solar projects as well as clean cookstoves. On a
greater scale, the AEPC has oriented its policies and programmes to Green
Climate Fund (GCF). Capacity building for the same is ongoing in coordination
with the Ministry of Finance, and Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and
Irrigation.
"We aim to reach 1
million households in 150 local bodies of Tarai to promote and develop cleaner
energy options including improved cookstoves and solar panels," said
Dhakal.
According to the AECP,
while many areas in local bodies or wards are connected to the national grid,
many households in far-flung areas still don't have access to the facility.
Likewise, it’s a challenge to reduce the number of households that use firewood
or cow-dung cake to cook food from 54 per cent and users of the LP gas from 44
per cent.
"We need to
replace them both," said Dhakal.
Published in The Rising Nepal daily on 21 January 2025.
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