Kathmandu, Feb 29: In the Worldnet Dialogue billed as a scene-setter for the upcoming Energy Conference to be held from March 6-8 in Kathmandu, the Deputy Secretary and Chief Operating Officer of the US Department of Energy, T.J Glauthier, and the Deputy Director of the Global Office of Energy, USAID, Gordon Weynard, fielded a volley of queries from three Nepali panelists on the topic “Emerging Energy Market in South Asia” at the American Center today.

The three Nepali panelists were: Santa Bahadur Pun, Officer on Special Duty, Ministry of Water Resources, Ajaya M.Dixit, water resources expert with Interdisciplinary Analysts and Navin Singh Khadka, of this daily, The Rising Nepal.

The queries ranged from affordability of energy to prospects of investments in energy development, market possibilities of energy generated to industrial utilisation of energy, the supply side and the demand side of energy, integration of latest technologies in energy generation to applicability and the relevance of international accords on the sharing and utilisation of water resources.

To a query as to whether the energy generated by hydropower plants built with huge investments would be affordable, Glauthier said the integration of appropriate technologies along with an enhanced and efficient distribution system could help bring down the price of energy for everyday use. He further said that the US, which has collected a lot of experience in energy development, is ready to share its knowledge and expertise in not only generating power in a cost-efficient manner but has the technological capabilities.

To another query as to whether Nepal, which has tremendous hydropower potentials, should export electricity at its own expense and peril, Glauthier stated that though Nepal’s present capacity to utilise all its energy output is not there due to its low absorbing capacity, Nepal could reach such a stage by expediting its pace of industrialisation through the export of surplus energy. However, without adequate energy production, this would not be possible, he further pointed out.

The forthcoming energy meet will not only show-case a whole gamut of projects but also facilitate local and regional projects, Glauthier said while responding to the query as to whether the coming meet will help Nepali entrepreneurs to overcome financial hurdles in their bid to development small hydel projects.

The Deputy Secretary of the US Energy Department opined that any water resources utilisation accords should conform to international agreements on down-stream utilisation and advantages. He made this remark while replying to a panelist’s query as to whether the 1961 US-Canada Treaty that gave Canada the entitlement to half of power generated downstream and which it sold to the US on a long-term basis could be emulated in any other regional pacts.

While pointing out the need to look into the diplomatic aspect of such an issue, he said that all the US ambassadors in the region will also be attending the energy meet.

Gordon Waynard, Deputy Director of the Global Office of Energy, USAID, also said that the forthcoming energy meet will open up vast vistas for the US and the South Asian nations in the field of energy development as it is touted to bring together officials and representatives from the government, non-government and private sectors.

Phillip Hoffman, Director of the American Center, pointed out that the Worldnet Dialogue would act as a scene-setter for the upcoming energy meet to be held in Nepal. Since the production and marketing of energy is of great interest to all South Asian nations, the meet is expected to not only give fillip to energy development projects in the region but also to attract US investors as well.

The forthcoming energy meet, presented by the US Trade and Development Agency (TDA) and co-sponsored by the US Departments of Energy, Commerce and State and the Agency for Internation Development is expected to see government and energy industry leaders from the US and South Asian nations discussing and exploring project opportunities worth US$15-20 billion.