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First four micro hydropower plants financed on credit by the EnDev Nepal-supported MHP Debt Fund inaugurated
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In the right time for the celebration of the Nepali festival of lights (Tihar) the first 4 Micro Hydropower (MHP) Plants which have been supported by an Energising Development (EnDev) Nepal-initiated credit scheme have brought power and light to rural communities. The communities have received loans from the MHP Debt Fund which is implemented in partnership of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) and GIZ. It is an important step in moving from a subsidy to a credit-based rural energy financing.
The 4 plants in operation are Khani Khola in Kavre District (20 kW), Thulo Khola in Okhaldhunga District (50 kW), Swara Tap Khola in Khotang District (30 kW) and Chari Khola in Rammechhap District (80 kW) and have provided electricity to more than 7,500 persons (1,370 households).
Despite available subsidies for off-grid electrification especially through Micro Hydropower by the Nepali government for decades there is still a substantial funding gap for local communities or private developers due to high initial investment costs. Local financial institutions and commercial banks could fill this gap and many MHP plants would be also economically viable.
In order to bring the private sector into financing MHP in Nepal, EnDev Nepal seeks to build partnerships between banks and local micro finance institutions in a way that they act as the bank’s local agents in rural areas and making them familiar with rural energy finance. The Micro Hydropower Debt Fund (MHDF) has been set up and tendered out to two Nepali commercial banks (Clean Energy Development Bank and Himalayan Bank) acting as fund managers to speed up rural electrification by providing credit for viable MHP projects.
Additional information can be obtained here
Contact: Roman.Gruener@giz.de
Cooperation Agreement in Nepal between EnDev, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and NACEUN on productive use of electricity signed
Energising Development (EnDev) Nepal, HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation and the National Association of Community Electricity Users in Nepal (NACEUN) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding for promoting productive use of electricity in rural communities.
EnDev Nepal supports the electrification of rural communities through extension of the national grid by providing organisational, financial as well as technical support to 49 communities of which 28 covering around 27,000 HH have been already electrified. Altogether there are over 200 communities with around 170,000 HH, which are organised in the umbrella organization NACEUN providing advocacy and advice on behalf of the communities. HELVETAS Swiss Intercooperation promotes informal sector enterprises and employment generation whereby local persons with a business affinity are trained in various entrepreneurial skills to become Enterprise Service Providers. They either invest themselves in viable businesses or offer their skills and experience to support other entrepreneurs.
On the one hand, electricity has a huge potential to create rural businesses to improve income and living conditions for the population and on the other, it will support the financial viability of electrified communities to sustain its operation and pay for the maintenance.
The combination of experiences and approaches from all parties was seen as highly beneficial for the promotion of productive use to improve living condition of the rural population in Nepal. In a pilot phase of two years the joint cooperation will start from November 2012 to October 2014 and cover the Districts of Banke and Syangia and possibly extended at a later stage.
Contact: Roman.Gruener@giz.de
