Preparation is afoot to start a feasibility study for the establishment of a 100-kilowatt wind energy project at Resunga Municipality-7 in Gulmi district.

An all-party and all-stakeholder meeting recently convened in the ward reached a consensus to move forward with the project, said Ram Prasad Panthi, ward no 7 chairperson. The meetings emphasised the need to develop Arjunchettra not only as a tourist destination but also as a centre for generating wind power.

The idea for running the Project was initially recommended to the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre about two years ago, while the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation has accelerated the feasibility study for the same, informed Panthi.

Since the distance between Unayachaur sub-station and Arjunchettra is only around 800 meters, it is believed that the energy harnessed from wind turbines could be sold to the national electricity transmission grid.

The project, once operational, is estimated to generate up to Rs 2.8 million of annual income. The feasibility study and construction of initial infrastructures are expected to require an investment of Rs 15 million.

While the local residents of the ward will have an opportunity to invest in the project through allocation of shares, the remaining funding will be managed through collaboration among the federal, provincial governments and the Centre.

All people’s representatives in the ward have expressed their solidarity for this Project, deeming it appropriate and timely, it was said.

The all-party and all-stakeholder meeting had also decided to allocate the budget received from the municipality for this new fiscal year 2025/26 solely on the wind energy project and in priority areas rather than in physical infrastructure development.