Nepal says to discuss joint development of hydro projects with China

KATHMANDU - The first meeting of the Nepal-China joint steering committee (JSC) is set to be held here later this month to discuss joint development of hydropower projects, according to a Nepali official.

"One of the agenda we have set for the meeting is joint venture development of hydropower projects," Dinesh Ghimire, joint secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI) told Xinhua on Monday.

"Our next agenda is to explore the possibility of power trade between the two countries along with cross border power grid interconnection."

He said that as it is the first meeting of the joint mechanism, it will basically be an introductory meeting on how to move forwards on a number of issues of energy cooperation.

"We will notify them about Nepal's hydropower projects, transmission system and investment prospects in them," said Ghimire, who is also spokesperson at the ministry.

According to officials at the MoEWRI, Nepal will seek China's opinion on a number of projects that the country had forwarded for potential development under the Belt and Road Initiative.