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Nepalese Foreign Minister calls for 'green energy cooperation' with India

Green energy cooperation will foster mutual interdependence between New Delhi and Kathmandu, Nepal's Foreign Minister Arzoo Rana Deuba said on Thursday, adding that it can be done by promoting clean and sustainable energy sources. India's commitment to import 10,000 MW electricity over the next decade reflects the growing momentum in Nepal-India energy cooperation, Deuba said while speaking at the NepalIndia Strategic Dialogue organised by think tanks Ananta Aspen Centre and Centre for Innovative Foreign Policy in Kathmandu. Nepal and India had signed a long-term agreement in January 2024 to facilitate the export of 10,000 MW of electricity to India in the next 10 years. The foremost priority in Nepal- India relations is the need to advance our economic partnership by intensifying cooperation in trade, transit and investment, Deuba asserted. Nepal's enormous hydro-potential offers a clean climate resilient and renewable energy source that can be harnessed for generations to come, she added. There are multiple well-endowed rivers originating in the higher reaches of the Himalayas the four main being Mahakali, Karnali, Sapta Gandaki, and Sapta Kosi flowing through different valleys and then cutting across plains before entering India to meet River Ganga. India has helped Nepal develop multiple hydropower projects on these high-volume rivers and more projects are in the pipeline; and the power export agreement comes as the next step in the bilateral relations. The minister also stressed on enhancing mutual connectivity by investing in roads, railways, waterways, airways and digital infrastructure. The country shares a border of over 1,850 kilometres with five Indian states - Sikkim, West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Land-locked Nepal relies heavily on India for the transportation of goods and services. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)