THE VISION
Nepal has one of the world's most underdeveloped hydropower sectors relative to its resource potential — and one of the most ambitious plans to change that.
The country has an estimated 83 GW of theoretical hydropower potential, of which around 42–43 GW is economically viable. Yet installed capacity is still only 3.5–4.0 GW. The government's strategy is to expand to 28 GW by 2035, including up to 15 GW for export to India and Bangladesh.
Nepal currently operates around 208 hydropower plants, with the Department of Electricity Development listing more than 240 surveyed projects representing almost 11 GW of additional potential.
This implies a multi-decade infrastructure program of dams, headworks, desanders, canals, penstocks, tunnels, powerhouses, retaining walls, access roads, bridges and transmission civil works — operating in steep Himalayan terrain exposed to monsoon flooding, abrasive sediment, landslides, seismic activity and constant water contact.
