Kathmandu, March 20: The Alternative Energy Promotion Center (AEPC) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have signed a 1.5 million US dollars agreement to promote renewable energy in Nepal.
The grant, funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), will be used to provide technical assistance under the off-grid component of South Asia Sub-regional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Power Extension Project. Under this partnership, UNDP will also provide additional co-financing of 0.8 million US dollars and technical support to AEPC through its Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood (RERL) project.
The agreement was signed on Thursday (March 19) by Executive Director of AEPC, Madhusudhan Adhikari, and Resident Representative of UNDP, Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe, on behalf of their respective organizations in the presence of the ADB’s Country Director Mukhtor Khamudkhanov.
The SASEC project is supporting rural communities to develop nine mini-hydropower subprojects in Taplejung, Solukhumbu, Rukum East, Rukum West, Dolpa, Jumla and Mugu districts and 10 solar mini-grids in Panchthar, Morang, Okhaldhunga, Sindhuli, Rolpa, Surkhet, Kailali and Baitadi districts with cumulative capacity of 4.8 MW. Completion of these sub-projects, 30,500 additional households will have access to reliable, affordable and quality electricity, according to AEPC Executive Director Adhikari.
The project has also been providing support to communities in Nepal to establish cooperatives and a company that is responsible for both developing and operating their sub-projects.
It also promotes local employment generation, especially targeting women and members of marginalized communities, by skills training and providing access to electricity.
The project intends to support the rural population to utilize 20% of the generated power in productive end-use applications, according to a statement issued by the UNDP Nepal. RSS
