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Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Biraj Bhakta Shrestha, has claimed that the energy sector has been established as a prime basis for economic transformation.

He said this while responding to the queries raised by lawmakers during discussion on the Energy Ministry's allocation under the Appropriation Bill, 2083 in today's meeting of the House of Representatives (HoR).

Minister Shrestha shared that sufficient amount of budget has been allocated to advance electricity production, trade, infrastructure development, and industrialization in an integrated manner.

“Transmission lines and substations, considered the backbone of sustainable power supply, have received a high priority from the government,” he added.

The government has appropriated a total budget of Rs 114.028 billion for the Energy Ministry for the upcoming fiscal year 2083/84, it is stated.

He shared that out of the total earmarked budget Rs 70.124 billion has been allocated for energy, and Rs 43.903 billion for water resources and irrigation.

The ministry is working with a plan to complete 12 strategically important transmission lines within the next fiscal year, including nine lines of 132 kV, two of 220 kV, and one Nepal-India electricity transmission and trade project.

“Believably, the upcoming fiscal year will be fruitful for Nepal’s energy sector. Around 7,048 circuit kilometers of 66 kV and above transmission lines will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year,” Minister Shrestha informed.

The government is currently at a departure point for the transformation of the energy sector, he shared, adding that they have focused on quickly completing the long-stalled and prioritized projects this year instead of just allocating the budget.

He added that in the upcoming fiscal year, 670 megawatts from hydropower projects and 370 megawatts from solar projects, totaling 1,040 megawatts of electricity, will be connected to the national transmission system.

Minister Shrestha also mentioned that the target is to increase the installed electricity capacity to 30,000 megawatts in the next 10 years.

“The government is focusing on strengthening the transmission and distribution system more than production to prevent wastage of generated electricity and ensure sustainable supply to consumers,” he said.