KATHMANDU, FEBRUARY 22

A meeting of Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level Joint Steering Committee is taking place from tomorrow to discuss power trade and bilateral cooperation in the energy sector.

According to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the meeting is taking place in-person, which was postponed for two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the last meeting held in Bangalore, India. In the meeting beginning tomorrow, Secretary at the Ministry of Energy Devendra Karki will lead the Nepali team while Indian Energy Ministry's Secretary Alok Kumar will lead the Indian team.

A joint-secretary-level committee to be held tomorrow will prepare the agenda of the meeting while secretary-level meeting will meet on Thursday.

Nepal is preparing to table proposals for some projects of transmission line and power trade, officials said.

Likewise, Nepal would propose export of 850 megawatts of power to India from the coming monsoon. So far, Nepal has received permission to export only 39 megawatts of power produced from Devighat Hydropower Project and Trishuli Hydropower Project.

Similarly, discussions will be held regarding the progress of the Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line, the second trans-border transmission line being developed between Nepal and India.

The officials said discussions would be held on Kataiya-Kushwahaba 132 KV transmission line, Raxaul-Parwanipur transmission line and New Nautanahawa-Mainiya 132 KV transmission line.

According to the ministry, project and transmission line construction of Arun-III and the project itself was discussed.

An Indian company is developing the 900 megawatt Arun- III project in Sankhuwasabha.

A version of this article appears in the print on February 23, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.