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Peeling the energy pickle: expert perceptions on overcoming Nepal's electricity crisis

journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-08, 23:27 authored by Benjamin SovacoolBenjamin Sovacool, Saroj Dhakal, Olivia Gippner, Malavika Jain Bambawale
Underinvestment, low levels of electricity access, natural disasters, topography and hydrology make Nepal's electricity crisis akin to ‘peeling a pickle’: difficult to pin down and hard to manage. Based primarily on the perceptions of a sample of experts, this article lays out a roadmap for how the ‘pickle’ of the Nepali electricity crisis can be peeled. Drawing on primary data collection from research interviews, the study offers a brief summary of the Nepali electricity and energy sectors. It then details six separate electricity challenges identified by respondents—topography and climate; political instability resulting from the aftermath of the Maoist insurgency; poverty and corruption; lack of financing and investment; constrained technological and human resources; and, finally, aid dependency and political manoeuvring. We conclude by calling on Nepali policymakers to invest in distributed generation, transmission upgrades, seasonal hydroelectric storage and industrial energy efficiency practices, and to introduce electricity tariff reforms, among other measures.

History

Publication status

  • Published

Journal

South Asia: Journal of South Asian Studies

ISSN

0085-6401

Publisher

Taylor & Francis

Issue

4

Volume

36

Page range

496-519

Department affiliated with

  • SPRU - Science Policy Research Unit Publications

Full text available

  • No

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2016-01-14

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