hydropower

As part of the AECEN twinning partnership between the Nepal Ministry of Environment and the Malaysia Department of Environment (DOE) on strengthening environmental impact assessment (EIA) capabilities for the hydropower sector, Nepal partners met with Malaysian counterparts in Kuala Lumpur on April 26-27, 2010 to finalize the work program and initiate activities.  During the meetings, Malaysia DOE and other stakeholders shared details on EIA implementation and experience on their EIA consultant registration scheme.  The work partnership program will include a comprehensive training in cooperation with the Environmental Institute of Malaysia to develop a curriculum, modules and guidelines for use in Nepal, and the creation of a roster of EIA consultants in Nepal.

The Nepal Ministry of Environment and Malaysia Department of Environment officially launched a twinning arrangement in Kathmandu on January 14, 2010 to strengthen Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) practices for the hydropower sector in Nepal. At a workshop on Sharing EIA Best Practices for the Hydropower Sector, co-organized with the World Bank, Malaysian officials shared innovative approaches on EIA in the hydropower sector. USAID will support the partnership with World Bank under AECEN.