On 17th December 2023, Climate caucus, in partnership with the Parliament of Nepal and the Parliamentary Committee on Infrastructure Development, organized a meeting of Nepali Parliamentarians in Kathmandu. The event was inaugurated by Nepal’s Minister of Energy, Shakti Kumar Basnet. The meeting discussed various challenges and roadmaps for regional energy cooperation in South Asia, specifically from the perspective of Nepal.
On 18th December 2023, senior Indian MP and Chairperson of Climate Caucus India, Dr. Sanjay Jaiswal, along with Climate Caucus, South Asia Senior Secretariat members, met with the Nepal Energy Minister and the Energy Secretary and discussed the urgency of immediately connecting with the Indian Minister of External Affairs and the Power Secretary to address some issues and also to ensure the pending power agreement is finally signed in January during, External Affairs Minister, S Jaishankar’s visit.
After the successful meetings in Nepal, immediate necessary actions and strategic follow-up undertaken by the chair of Climate Caucus India, MP Dr Sanjay Jaiswal, a long-delayed long-term power exchange agreement between India and Nepal has been signed. The historic agreement, signed on 4 January, 2024 will substantially boost the hydropower sector in Nepal, with 10,000 megawatts of electricity to be exported to India over the next decade.
