KATHMANDU : With the objective of exploring possible business and investment opportunities in the field of renewable energy in Nepal, a UK business group – Innovate UK – is organizing a virtual mission to Nepal. Renewable Energy Confederation of Nepal (RECON) is coordinating the virtual mission to help benefit the Nepali investors and businesspersons working in the field of renewable energy sector.

The mission called ‘Mission to Nepal–Energy Catalyst–Business Development, that started on Monday will continue till Friday. While experts in the field from both the countries are scheduled to make presentations on the possible areas of collaboration and investment opportunities in the field of renewable energy between Nepal and the UK on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the businesspersons and investors of the two countries are scheduled to hold separate virtual meetings with likely business partners on Thursday and Friday.

The mission was preparing to organize meetings of the business community and professionals by organising seminars in Kathmandu in April. But with the global outbreak of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, this was changed into webinars for virtual meetings.

RECON Chair Guna Raj Dhakal said the mission has been proposing Nepali businesspersons and investors to work together and prepare ground for mutual benefits. Ample opportunities in innovative ideas may be worked out through the mission’s scopes.

Senior official from DfID Resha Piya and renewable energy expert at GIZ RERA Binod Prasad Shrestha made presentations on the renewable energy sector and possible opportunities on Monday event to help make prospective investors understand the situation in Nepal.

Director of Alternative Energy Promotion Center Nawaraj Dhakal, and renewable energy expert Bishwa Bhushan Amatya are scheduled to make their presentations on Nepal’s priorities and policies regarding alternative energy promotion on Tuesday. Three different sessions are scheduled on Wednesday where experts from Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu University, Practical Action, Winrock International and the UK Embassy in Kathmandu, among others, will make presentations on the theme.

Investors and businesspersons can have separate meetings with their potential investors and business partners in the last two days of the virtual meeting. “We decided to conduct this virtual mission as the nationwide lockdown enforced to contain the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) has severely limited the mobility of people. We hope that this provides a unique opportunities to businesspersons and investors from both countries to help promote renewable energy in Nepal,” said RECON’s Chair Dhakal, adding, the five-day virtual mission of UK to Nepal on renewable energy launched to explore renewable energy opportunities will be fruitful in tying up the business communities of the two countries.