Month: November 2022

Dr Sandip Shah, CMD of PRPL, and Pradeep Gangol, CEO of PTEEL, participated in a workshop on “Energy Regulation and Relevance of an Independent Regulator” on 9th November 2022 at Hotel Radisson, Lazimpat, Kathmandu. USAID’s Urja Nepal project organized the workshop to bring together key stakeholders in Nepal’s power sector to enhance and accelerate knowledge on energy regulation and the relevance of an independent regulator. The training was conducted by an expert from Deloitte.

The invitees included government officials, utility executives, industry participants, international experts, academia, and stakeholders from the energy sector. The topics of discussion were:

• the basics of energy regulation
• Rate setting
• Tariff calculations
• regulatory processes
• energy markets
• Open Access.

The workshop was successful in mentally preparing all, especially the government officials, for the inevitable deregulation of Nepal’s power sector.

USAID’s Urja Nepal Project is working to strengthen Nepal’s energy sector by

1. improving utility and sector performance
2. deploying advanced energy systems
3. increasing private sector engagement
4. advancing cross border electricity trade.
   

Pashupati Renewables visited the Green Hydrogen Lab at Kathmandu University on the 7th of November, 2022.

Location: Green Hydrogen Lab, Kathmandu University, Kavre, Nepal

Website: https://ghlab.ku.edu.np/

Minutes:

1. The visit began with a meeting with the Vice Chancellor of KU, Prof. Dr. Bhola Thapa, and the Team Leader of the Green Hydrogen Lab, Dr. Biraj Singh Thapa where discussions took place about the establishment of the lab and how the lab was progressing.
2. The PRPL Team then visited the Green Hydrogen Lab and was briefed on the ongoing projects and processes. These included:
   • How hydrogen is produced and used in fuel cells,
   • Commercial production of hydrogen gas,
   • A collaboration with Nepal Oil Corporation in developing NOC as a hydrogen fuel production and distribution company,
   • Incubation of the Nepal Hydrogen Initiative,
   • Pilot-scale Green Ammonia production in Nepal for contribution to the domestic economy,
   • Green Hydrogen as a fuel for transportation, and
   • Incubation of Synthetic Natural Gas Production for utilization in the cooking sector.
3. The PRPL team was introduced to the team working at GHL.
4. The PRPL team then sat down with Team Leader Dr. Thapa to discuss how Green Hydrogen can be utilized in the projects being developed by PRPL.
   
   All in all, the whole visit was an eye opening journey into the world of hydrogen development and production. The PRPL team not only learned of the developments in the sector by international counterparts but the push to develop and promote the technology in the Country by GHL. This visit didn’t just provide great knowledge but good insight into the fuel many consider the future.