Out on a limb

Dewan Rai

Last Dasain, villagers in Gaurikhan of Dadeldhura were woken up by a fleet of bulldozers roaring through the thick sal forests nearby. They were happy because it shortened their trip to Mahendranagar.

A 25-km road was constructed through the community forests on Chure hills, but suspicions were aroused because a road for just four households seemed fishy. The corruption watchdog, CIAA, started investigating.

"All evidence point to a premeditated plan involving political leaders, forest officials, user group members, contractors and local authority," says Krishna Prasad Dhungel at the CIAA. "It is impossible for smugglers alone to successfully carry out a plan of that magnitude without political protection."

Dhungel's investigation team visited the field last month and found loggers used chain saws to fell trees and truck them away on the newly-constructed road. He counted at least 25 trucks in Jogbudha valley alone. The team found that timber worth Rs 12 million was cut from six community forests in two months.

पश्चिम सेती बनाउन चिनियाँ कम्पनीसंग सहमति

सात सय पचास मेगावाटको जलाशययुक्त पश्चिम सेती आयोजना नेपालकै आन्तरीक खपतका लागि निर्माण गरिने गरी एउटा चिनियाँ कम्पनीसंग सरकारले बुधबार सहमति गरेको छ।

आयोजनाका लागि लाग्ने सवा खर्ब रुपियाँ मध्ये तीन चौथाई उक्त कम्पनीले लगानी गर्ने छ भने नेपाल विद्युत प्राधिकरणका लागि छुट्ट्याइएको बाँकी एक चौथाईका लागि चाहिने पैसाको जोहो समेत उसैले गरिदिने नेपाली अधिकारीहरुले बताएका छन्।

अपरिहार्य

खुरुखुरु प्रक्रिया अघि बढे सात वर्षभित्र बनिसक्ने ठानिएको उक्त आयोजना आगामी वर्षहरुमा लोड शेडिंग हटाउन अपरिहार्य भएको अधिकारीहरुको भनाई छ।

विगतमा एउटा अष्ट्रेलियाली कम्पनी स्मेकले सहमति गरेको १६ वर्षसम्मपनि आयोजना बनाउन नसकेपछि ६ महिना अगाडि पश्चिम सेतीको लाइसेन्स खोसेर सरकार आफैंले लिएको थियो।

त्यसपछि विश्वकै सबभन्दा ठूलो जलविद्युत कम्पनी भनिएको थ्री गोर्जेजसंग महिनौंसम्मको पत्राचार र कुराकानीपछि बुधबार काठमाण्डौंमा प्रारम्भिक सहमति भएको हो।

“सार्वजनिक निजी साझेदारीको आधारमा नेपालको आन्तरीक खपतको लागि विकास गर्ने गरी सम्झौता भएको छ,” पश्चिम सेतीबारे कुराकानी गर्न गठित टोलीका नेता तथा उर्जा मन्त्रालयका प्रवक्ता अर्जुन कार्कीले बताए।

पश्चिम सेती जलविद्युत् निर्माणका लागि आइतबारदेखि छलफल सुरु हुने

ऊर्जा मन्त्री पोष्टबहादुर बोगटीले पश्चिम सेती जलविद्युत् आयोजना निर्माणका लागि चीनको थिर–गोर्जेजसँग आइतबारदेखि छलफल सुरु हुन लागेको बताएका छन्। थिर–गोर्जेजले सरकारी निजी साझेदारीमा यो आयोजना प्रस्ताव गरेपछि आइतबारदेखि वार्ता हुन लागेको हो।ऊर्जा मन्त्रालयले गत महिना उसको प्रस्तावअनुसार वार्ता गर्न यो कम्पनीलाई पत्राचार गरेको थियो। 

'२६ तारिखमा चिनिया टोली आउँदैछ, उनीहरुसँग थप छलफल हुनेछ,' मन्त्री बोगटीले भने। चिनिया पर्व ल्होसारले गर्दा गत महिना आउन नसकेको टोली आइतबार आएपछि वार्ता सुरु हुनेछ।

१६ वर्षसम्म अष्ट्रेलियाको स्मेक कम्पनीले लाइसेन्स लिएर निर्माण सुरु गर्न सकेको थिएन। गत साउनमा सरकारले यसको लाइसेन्स रद्द गरेको थियो। 

पत्रकार विकास थापाद्वारा लिखित 'नेपालमा जलविद्युत्' पुस्तकको विमोचन कार्यक्रममा मन्त्री बोगटीले विद्युत् प्राधिकरणमा कर्मचारी भर्ना गर्नका लागि सबैतिरबाट दबाब भए पनि अहिलेसम्म नगरेको बताए।

पत्रकार थापाले नेपालको जलविद्युत् क्षेत्रका विभिन्न आयामलाई उल्लेख गरेर लेखेको पुस्तकमा जलविद्युत् आयोजनाहरु अघि बढ्न नसक्नुका रहस्य, अरुण तेस्रो आयोजनालगायतका विषयमा रहस्य सार्वजनिक गरेका छन्। झण्डै १८ वर्षसम्म पत्रकारितामा संलग्न रहेका थापाको पुस्तकबारेमा विश्लेषक सौरभ र पूर्व जलस्रोत सचिव सोमनाथ पौडेलले चर्चा गरेका थिए।

श्रोत: www.nagariknews.com 

Piluwakhola Hydropower Project

Arun Valley Hydropower Development Company has constructed and operating Piluwakhola Small Hydropower Project at Sankhuwasava District in Koshi Zone. This is a run of river type project located in Eastern Part of the country at Piluwa River, a tributary of Arun River. The power purchase agreement with Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) was completed in 2000 to supply 19.56GWh per annum. The construction of this project was started in March 2000 and completed in August 2003. The plant started commercial operation from 18 September 2003. The power generated from the project is synchronized into 33kV national grid close to the project and it helped to minimize the system losses. Nearly 300 villages of Sankhuwasabha, Terathum, Bhojpur and Dhankuta districts are directly benefited from the reliable supplied by this project. It has improved the livelihood of people of these areas. 

Salient Features 

Installed Capacity	3.0 MW
Design Discharge	3.5 m3/sec
Gross Head	112.5 meters
Contract Energy	19.547 GWh
Construction Period	36 months
Total Project Cost	NRs. 326.4 million
Cost Per Kilowatt	US$ 1451 Per KW (1 US $ =NRs.75)

First minister-level Nepal-India energy talks in Delhi

ANIL GIRI

Kathmandu, Nepal

Nepal and India are all set to hold the first energy minister-level talks on key issues pertaining to water resources in New Delhi on Wednesday Feb 15th, 2012.

Among other things, the implementation of the Pancheshwar Multi Purpose Project, a part of the Nepal-India Mahakali Treaty, and finalisation of the long-pending Power Trading Agreement (PTA) are the top agendas for the meeting. Energy Minister Post Bahadur Bogati is leading a 22-member Nepali delegation to the talks.

A meeting of the Cabinet on Tuesday decided to send a 20-member delegation to India and approved Nepal’s agendas. Two officials from Nepal’s mission in New Delhi will also join in.

Nepal has made up its mind to request India to give final touches to the long-pending Power Development Agreement (PDA), construction of a 400-KV cross-border transmission corridor between Dhalkebar and Muzaffarpur and importing an additional 200 MW of electricity from the southern neighbour.

“However, we have to hold discussions with them (Indian officials) if they raise the issue of the implementation of the Pancheshwar project. So far, there are no negative talks, although we have been opposing the Mahakali Treaty,” Minister Bogati had told The Kathmandu Post a few days ago.