Minister Khadka Announces Imminent Start of Upper Arun Hydropower Project, Plans Local Investment Scheme

Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Deepak Khadka, has announced that work on the Upper Arun Hydropower Project will begin soon.

Speaking at a press conference organized by the Nepal Press Union in Sankhuwasabha, Khadka emphasized the need to secure financial resources and outlined plans to facilitate local participation in the project. He highlighted initiatives to offer concessional loans to underprivileged families, ensuring each household in Sankhuwasabha could invest Rs 500,000 worth of shares in the project.

The minister expressed hope that this model of offering shares to disadvantaged groups would be expanded nationwide. Stressing the importance of leveraging Sankhuwasabha's water resources for regional development, he also discussed efforts to address delays in constructing the Koshi Corridor's national transmission line. Additionally, Khadka reaffirmed his commitment to electrifying the country within two years, involving the private sector in hydropower projects to meet the government's goal of producing 28,500 megawatts of electricity within the next decade.