PRPL participated in the Power Summit 2023 organized by IPPAN (Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal). Our associate Power Trade & Energy Exchange Ltd (PTEEL) was one of the sponsors of the event held on April 18-19 at Hyatt Regency Kathmandu. This year the event was co-organized with Government of Nepal, Investment Board Nepal, Embassy of India, Embassy of Norway, and the support of many sponsors from manufacturers to developers and especially power traders. The Summit brought senior delegates from Bangladesh and Bhutan as well.
Dr. Sandip Shah (Past President of IPPAN) spoke on a panel on Climate Resilient Energy Development. The panel was moderated by Robert Kremer of Urja Nepal program and consisted of experienced delegates from ICIMOD, Government of Nepal, Sanima Hydro, UNDP, and the central bank. Dr Shah talked about “Project Management for Climate Resilient Hydropower Development”:
- Climate Risk management is to be incorporated in every stage of project management from Business identification and development, Project Development, Construction, Operation & Maintenance, and Decommissioning.
- Not Deterministic, but Probabilistic approach has to be adopted for:
- Low-flow hydrology
- High Floods, GLOFs
- Data availability
- Cascading Hazards assessment
- Stress-testing of inflow hydrological model and financial model
- Impact on hydropower can be profound if not addressed diligently
Focus: Power Trade
The main topic of interest at Power Summit ’23 was Power Trade. Developers, generators, and traders reiterated to Government of Nepal representatives and ministers to open up this activity to the private sector. Many power projects are stuck without PPAs as NEA is unwilling to take the market risk. It is imperative to initiate power trading to continue the growth of the Nepali energy sector. A few MoUs were signed between IPPs and aspiring power traders. Upcoming projects were presented by their developers including Solu Dudhkoshi 86MW (recently completed), Arun 3, Tamakoshi V, Upper Karnali.
The two days were full of engaging sessions with a lot of speakers on:
- Markets for Nepal’s Hydropower
- Mobilizing Investment in Regional Energy Projects in South Asia
- Climate Resilient Energy Development
- Cross Border Electricity Trade
- Beyond Hydropower
- Policy & Regulatory
- Regional Interest & Energy Security
- Innovation & Technology
- Open Access & Market Creation
- Attracting Investment
- Financing
- Infrastructure
- Sustainable & Inclusive Hydropower Development
