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CIAA grills ministries over hydel licence ‘hoarders’
KATHMANDU, DEC 17 - The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) has grilled the Ministry of Energy, the Ministry of Industry, and the Company Registrar’s Office for allowing “technically and financially-unqualified companies” to hoard hydropower survey licences of at least 10,000 MW.
The anti-graft body has directed the concerned authorities to initiate a process of scrapping the survey licences within the next three months, stating that they have failed to demonstrate progress as per the previously-made agreement and crossed the one-year timeline.
As of November, the government has issued a total of 95 survey licences of capacity between 10 to 600 MW, which includes large hydropower projects, such as Upper Marsyangdi-II (600MW), Tamakoshi-III (600MW), Upper Tamakoshi (456MW), Chainpur Seti (454MW), and Arun-III (402). Most of these licences, according to the CIAA, have been renewed annually for the last three to four years despite lack of progress. “Hundreds of applications have been registered for survey licences from capable companies, but not one has been approved or rejected,” said the CIAA in a statement released on Thursday.
The Department of Electricity Development has only issued production licences for a total of 700 MW so far. Experts have stated that the government’s failure to be decisive and transparent with regards to the renewal and issuance of survey licences is what has led to the current energy crisis and load-shedding in the country.
In view of the prevalent anomalies, the CIAA has also directed the government to ensure that a capable company is given a survey licence within a certain timeline and without reservations. The anti-graft body has also directed the government to publish a final list of feasible hydel projects without doing a PPA (Power Purchase Agreement) within the next 15 days, stating that a standard rate for power purchase has already been finalised.
TOP 12 SURVEY LICENCES
Project MW
Upper Marsyangdi-II 600
Tamakoshi-III 600
Upper Tamakoshi 456
Chainpur Seti 454
Arun-III 402
Nalsyagu Gad 400
Project MW
Lower Arun 400
Upper Tamakoshi 309
Namlan 303
Uttar Ganga 300
Upper Karnali 300
Phulkot Karnali 210
LICENCES ISSUED TILL DATE
Project scale Licences MW
Over 100MW 19 5845.24
10-100MW 76 3360.53
1-10MW 238 1041.633
Under 1MW 184 135.529
Total 517 10382.92
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