H.E. Tengye Lyonpo Loknath Sharma attended the Power Summit 2019 held in Kathmandu from 21-22 November 2019. The Summit was organized by the Independent Power Producers’ Association (IPPAN), Nepal. Lyonpo graced the inaugural session as the Guest of Honor where he addressed the gathering of more than 600 participants representing governments, traders, regulators, investors, academics, developers – all exploring opportunities in power sector. Lyonpo talked about how access to affordable and reliable electricity is key to fueling the regional developments and impressed upon the role that hydropower rich himalayan countries could play such as providing balancing power, acting as water battery backup, offsetting GHG emissions and providing competitive pricing. Lyonpo stressed on the need for grid integration, coherent power trade and greater regional cooperation to realize the goal of achieving regional prosperity. Bhutan’s experiences in hydropower development and power trade under the exemplary mutually beneficial cooperation with the neighboring country, India was also highlighted.
On the request of the Hon’ble Minister of Energy Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Nepal, Mr. Barchaman Pun ‘Ananta’, a bilateral meeting was also held where the Minister thanked the Tengye Lyonpo for his presence at the Summit and expressed general goodwill between the two countries established through age-old informal trade relations and cultural exchanges. Lyonpo thanked the Minister for the kind invitation and reciprocated the feelings of goodwill. The meeting also discussed on the avenues of sharing each other’s experiences in hydropower development and power trade