Nepal Likely to Get Geothermal Plant

LNJ Bhilwara Group of India has announced an ambitious plan to set up geothermal power plants in Nepal and India .

An agreement was signed between the Group and Glitnir, a Nordic development bank recently in New Delhi for identifying locations and setting up the plants in both Nepal and India . Though the locations under consideration in Nepal are not disclosed, the Indian sites being considered are Puga ( Jammu and Kashmir ) and Tatapani (Himachal Pradesh), according to reports in the Indian press.

According to Anup Joshi of the Corporate Communication Department of Bhilwara Group, discussions are going on with a number of potential Nepali parties with whom the Group will partner in setting up the plant in Nepal . However, the corporate sources in Nepal name Triveni Group as the most likely Nepali party.

Geothermal power plants harness the earth's heat and geothermal energy from underground reservoirs containing hot rocks saturated with water or steam. Hot water and steam are piped up to a geothermal power plant where they are used to drive electric generators. The water once used and cooled can be piped back into the reservoir. For this reason, geothermal heat is considered renewable energy source entitling the plant operator carbon credit under the Kyoto Protocol.

Glitnir has successfully implemented 5MW geo-thermal a project in China where it brought expertise and funded the project to heat a district in the Xian Yang province.