Significant portion of hydropower potential in South Asia is concentrated in the Himalayan region, spanning Nepal, Bhutan and India’s northern most states. Nepal, blessed with immense amount of water resources, holds a huge scope for generating power, irrigation and supply of safe drinking water. The major rivers originate in the high Himalaya. There are three major river systems in Nepal, namely, the Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali, each having several tributaries. The permanent snow areas and 80 glaciers in the high Himalaya make the biggest rivers perennial. As such, Nepal is expected to become a net exporter of electricity energy to its neighboring countries.
Nepal’s theoretical hydropower potential has been estimated to be around 84,000 MW, of which 43,000 MW has been identified as economically viable. However, the hydropower generating capacity of approximately 1,177.679 MW (~2.74% of the total potential) at present indicates that there is a lot to be done to achieve the government’s target of generating 15,000 MW by the year 2029 during the ‘Energy and Water Resources Decade’ announced through the government’s White Paper on May 8, 2018.
Hence, aligning itself with the government’s priority and focus in harnessing hydropower potential, NIFRA accepts the Energy sector as one of its major strategic sectors. NIFRA aims to invest in following Energy sub-sectors: