Govt team leaves for China to discuss West Seti construction

A government team has left for China to discuss the construction of 750-MW West Seti Hydropower Project with China Three Gorges Corporation (CTGC) on Monday.

The team led by secretary at the Ministry of Energy Hari Ram Koirala includes Prime Minister's Finance advisor Rameshwor Khanal and Investment Board (IB) chairman Radesh Pant.

The government and the Chinese firm had signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on February 29 for the construction of the project, but works have not yet started.

The government had also directed the Ministry of Energy to proceed with the remaining works of the West Seti Hydropower Project through Investment Board (IB) on May 10 following the direction of the Parliamentary Committee on Natural Resources and Means on March 28.

However, the parliamentary committee had stalled the implementation of the project for the time being, questioning its legality. Later, the committee allowed the government to carry out the project after fulfilling legal obligations through IB.

As per the IB Act, construction of more than 500 MW hydropower projects should be under the Board. Nepalnews.com