KATHMANDU: President of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN) Mohan Kumar Dangi has called on the international community including Canada for investment, technology transfer and technical cooperation for the development of reservoir hydropower projects in Nepal.

Addressing the Canada Dam Association’s annual conference 2026 and trade show, Dangi said Nepal’s experience in dam engineering, reservoir projects, hydropower technology and climate-resilient infrastructure development would be useful for Nepal.

Stating that there was immense potential for hydropower development in Nepal, he said that there was a huge opportunity for collaboration between Nepal and Canada in the construction of safe, sustainable and climate-changing hydropower projects.

He said that there is an opportunity for long-term and mutually beneficial partnership for both countries as Nepal has ample hydropower potential and can provide an expanding energy market. He expressed the view that Canada’s experience in expanding hydropower generation capacity in Nepal, developing large reservoir projects, making dam safety effective and increasing the use of modern technology would be important.

Dangi said that IPPAN, an umbrella organization of private power producers established in 2001, has been continuously working for the promotion of private investment and hydropower development in Nepal’s energy sector. “There has been a significant increase in Nepal’s power generation capacity since 1999 after the private sector started participating in the hydropower sector,” he said, “The total installed capacity of electricity generation in Nepal has reached about 4.3 GW, of which more than 80 percent is contributed by the private sector projects.” ’

Stating that Nepal’s hydropower potential is huge, Chairman Dangi said that the assessment carried out by the Water and Energy Commission Secretariat in 2019 and various other studies showed the technical potential of generating more than 200 GW of hydropower in Nepal. He said that Nepal could become a major center of clean and green energy in South Asia through the development of run-of-river, peaking run-of-river, reservoir-based and pumped storage projects.

Stating that the government has set an ambitious target of increasing the installed capacity of electricity generation to 30,000 MW by 2035, Dangi said that there is a need to develop additional capacity of more than 24,000 MW of electricity from the current capacity to achieve this goal. He said that this goal will not only meet the growing internal demand of Nepal but also create an opportunity to expand electricity export to neighboring countries. He also informed that Nepal has set a target of exporting up to 15,000 MW of electricity to neighboring countries along with the development of production projects, transmission lines and inter-country power trade infrastructures.

Referring to the major projects that have potential for investment and international cooperation in Nepal, Chairman Dangi said that Tamor Reservoir (762 MW), Dudhkoshi Reservoir (670 MW), Budhigandaki Reservoir (1200 MW) and Upper Arun (1060 MW) were also important. He said that international partnership was needed in the areas of investment, project finance management, engineering, construction, dam safety, energy storage and use of modern technology.

Stating that more than 98 per cent of the population of Nepal has access to electricity, he said hydropower has been contributing to economic growth, job creation, improvement of quality of life and expansion of clean energy trade. He said that Nepal could establish itself as an important source of clean electricity supply in South Asia if it could further strengthen regional cooperation. He urged international organizations, investors, developers and technical experts to collaborate with Nepal in the field of hydropower project development, investment, research, technology transfer, vocational training and infrastructure development that can withstand the challenges of climate change.

Appreciating the conference organized by the Canada Dam Association on the theme ‘Tides of Change’, President Dangi said that such international forums play an important role in the exchange of knowledge, experience and technology. He also said that international cooperation is necessary for dam safety, climate resilience and sustainable hydropower development.

During the program, Coordinator of IPPAN’s International Relations and Program Management Committee, Ananda Chaudhary, will present on Nepal’s hydropower potential, important lessons learned from the recent Bhotekoshi floods and opportunities for international cooperation.