Improving the sharing of hydropower data

Partner: Niti Foundation

To support the use of evidence and coordination in the development of Nepal’s hydropower sector, the D4D Program supported Niti Foundation to develop an open map of hydropower projects.

The hydropower sector is one of the most important sectors for Nepal in terms of economic growth. Energy availability is a key component for industrial and service sector development, and data about what energy is currently available and planned is a critical ingredient of effective business and service delivery decisions. However, the information available on hydropower projects is currently scattered among various government agencies (including the Ministry of Energy, Department of Electricity Development, Water and Energy Commission Secretariat, and Investment Board of Nepal) and it is therefore difficult for economic stakeholders to find the information they need to assess the status and progress of Nepal’s hydropower projects.

To address this challenge, the D4D Program is supporting Niti Foundation to map hydropower projects in Nepal and make this data openly available in a user-friendly portal. This will build on the previously developed hydro-map that Niti Foundation developed with the National Planning Commission using 2012 data from the Department of Electricity. Through involving private sector power producers and government authorities in data provision the map will provide updated public information about various hydropower projects in Nepal including details of project size, location, and regulatory stage, in addition to details of major transmission lines. This aims to increase the transparency in hydropower development in Nepal, thereby reducing the information asymmetry that currently exists between developers, government, and the public.