Kathmandu. Australian Ambassador to Nepal H.E. Lian Johnston paid a courtesy call on Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Deepak Khadka here today.

Minister Khadka welcomed Ambassador Johnston on behalf of the Government of Nepal and the Ministry and recalled that nepal-Australia diplomatic relations entered the 65th year this year.

Expressing gratitude for the Australian support extended to Nepal, he highly appreciated the role played by scholarships and capacity development programmes in strengthening Nepal’s manpower.

Minister Khadka said there was immense scope for cooperation in hydropower development, renewable energy, transmission system modernization, climate-adapted irrigation, clean energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.

During the meeting, Ambassador Johnston formally invited Minister Khadka to participate in the International Pumped Storage Hydropower Summit to be held in Paris, France from September 8-10, 2025.

Minister Khadka expressed the belief that the pump storage project would play an important role in identifying new opportunities in the energy sector and achieving energy blending.

Ambassador Johnston congratulated Minister Khadka for the successful implementation of the “Energy Sector Development Roadmap 2081” and asked for more information.

On the occasion, Minister Khadka said that the target is to generate 28,500 MW electricity by 2035 as per the roadmap. Under this, 13,500 MW will be domestic consumption, 10,000 MW will be exported to India and 5,000 MW will be exported to Bangladesh.

Ambassador Johnston expressed confidence that hydropower development would be beneficial for Nepal while maintaining environmental balance and assured Australia’s cooperation and partnership in this ambitious project.

Minister Khadka expressed commitment to further strengthen Nepal-Australia relations, especially in the energy, water resources and irrigation sectors. Both sides expressed confidence that the continued dialogue and cooperation would be further fruitful in the days to come.