KATHMANDU: A meeting of Nepal-India Energy Secretary-Level Joint Steering Committee is scheduled to take place in India on coming February 17-18.
According to spokesperson for the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Madhu Prasad Bhetuwal, the 10th meeting of the Committee is taking place in India on the said date.
He confirmed that the secretary-level joint working group of the two countries would take place on February 17 and it is to be followed by a Joint Steering Committee Meeting on February 18.
Energy cooperation, trans-country power trade and infrastructure development for cross-border transmission lines are prominent agenda of the sitting scheduled for next week. Likewise, a long-term power purchase agreement is a matter of priority for discussions during the meeting, according to Spokesperson Bhetuwal.
The issue about exporting additional power from the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 kV trans-border transmission line is one of the agenda of the meeting. At present, the transmission has the permission of exporting up to 600 megawatts of electricity.
In addition to this, the meeting will discuss the 400 KV-New Butwal-Gorakhpur, the Duhabi-Purniya and the Lamki-Bareli cross-border transmission lines.
Likewise, the Nepali side will propose the meeting to endorse the projects presented by the Nepal Electricity Authority to export power to India.
The joint sitting will assess and review a progress report about the construction of New Butwal-Gorakhpur transmission line and the power project being developed by Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam, India.
The ninth Joint Steering Meeting held in Kathmandu last year formed a joint technical team comprising three members each from Nepal and India to facilitate the joint hydropower projects and the meeting will review the team’s activities.