Second edition of Himalayan Hydro Expo pulls more than 60K visitors in three days; signature event of Nepal’s hydropower concludes with high note

The second edition of Himalayan Hydro Expo 2018 has drawn a huge crowd until the third and final day. by the end of the Sunday, more than 60 thousand visitors visited the exhibition where more than 85 exhibitors had set more than 100 stalls addressing various breakthroughs in hydropower sector.

Exhibitors include almost all stake holders of hydropower sector in Nepal from engineering firms, machinery manufacturers, equipment suppliers, technology service providers, Contractors, Banks, Insurance companies, construction material suppliers, heavy machinery and vehicle brands and the like

Feeling the need of such expo for overall growth of the energy sector, National Planning Commission and Ministry of Energy Water Resources and Irrigation provided patronage to the event. Further, it is also endorsed by Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited, Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Confederation of Nepalese Industries, Nepal Bankers’ Association, Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal, Youth Community for Nepalese Contractors and supported by Nepal-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nepal- India Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nepal Tunneling Association, European Economic Chamber Nepal, Hydro Needs Pvt. Ltd, Kathmandu University, Tunneling Process Innovation in Nepal, Little Star Records, Energy Nepal Magazine, Nepal Water and Energy Development Company, B Fouress (P) Limited, Exhibition Light House, AS Event and Marketing, Chongqing Water and Turbine Works Company Limited, ABB India Limited, Vaptech Limited, and Wasserkraft Volk AG (WKV).

The event was co-sponsored by International Finance Corporation (IFC) a sister organization of the World Bank and member of the World Bank Group which is the largest global development institution focused exclusively on the private sector in developing countries. Premier Insurance, Hotel Himalaya, Asian Paints, Restrology, Vianet, and Nepal Shipping and Air Logistic Private Limited need a special mention as they are the official partners of the event.

The exhibition showcased stalls from hydropower developers, associated state-of-the-art technology manufacturers and suppliers, investors, insurance companies, banks, and construction companies spanning across Nepal, India, China, Bulgaria, Austria, Germany, South Korea, Sweden and England. The products range from electromechanical, hydromechanical, control, protection and data supervisory system, construction equipment, solar modules, electric vehicles, tunneling equipment from prominent institutions like VOITH, Epicrock Mining India, WEG Industries India Pvt. Ltd, APE Power, GEPPERT Hydropower, Toshiba Corporation, DEC Dongfeng Electric Machinery Co., Ltd and others.

The Expo also hosted various competitions for engineering students and eight participants from various engineering colleges competed for the coveted first place. Besides, this year, te event also featured Robo Competition for the first time in which over 32 groups have were enlisted to showcase robotics innovation and usage.

Another major attraction of the event was short helicopter rides to Dordi Corridor, Upper Marshyandi and Solu Corridor where numerous hydropower projects are in construction and few are already in operation wherein interested participants get a real feel of hydropower development that is going on in the country.

At the session, there was also launch of first version of Hydro Map (a computer application) intended to serve as a hydro database for all stakeholders which is jointly developed by IPPAN, Niti Foundation, and The Asia Foundation.

The expo also featured other renewable energy initiatives in Solar PV system, wind energy potential and showcase of electric cars as substitute to the fossil fuel cars.

All in all, this event was organized at a time when hydropower industry is at its all-time peak. The recent development in energy banking, formation of Electricity Regulation Commission and opportunity to export energy outside of Nepal (as implied by the Revised Guideline for the Import/Export of Electricity 2018) indicates further growth in the sector in the years to come.