The Ambassadors of Denmark and Norway on Thursday, on behalf of their respective Governments, have signed an agreement with the Ministry of Finance pledging more than Rs. 3 billion in grant assistance for renewable energy programmes in Nepal over a five-year period of 2007-2012.
According to a joint press release issued by the Danish and Norwegian embassies, the support is provided through a second phase of the Energy Sector Assistance Programme (ESAP), which in its first phase was supported by Denmark. The programme will be implemented by the Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC)
“The programme will provide institutional and technical support to the Government of Nepal to strengthen its capacity to deliver energy to rural areas. This will include support to development of a new national policy for rural energy delivery, which covers both renewable and non-renewable sources. The programme will support renewable energy solutions through the Rural Energy Fund that will provide financial subsidies for consumers who wish to invest in these solutions,” the press release said.
"The programme is expected to provide energy solutions to more than 1 million households in Nepal. Access to clean, cheap and reliable energy in remote rural areas can make an important contribution to improvement of health, education and reduction of poverty. By promoting rural development, the programme will help support and sustain the peace process in Nepal. Denmark and Norway have a long tradition of investing in renewable energy sources and we are proud to be able to help the people of Nepal take advantage of these experiences," said the release.
The programme will focus on three solutions: biomass energy, micro and mini hydro power installations and solar home.
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