The American Society of Nepalese Engineers (ASNEngr) would like to invite you to participate in a panel discussion titled “Hydropower in Nepal: Achieving Sustainable Development Goals by 2030”.
The event will be streamed live through the society’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/ASNEngr/) on Sunday, October 11 from 10 AM to 12:00 noon Eastern Time (7:45 PM to 9:45 PM in Nepal). (Note: it has been moved to October 11 due to technical problem)
Please find a brief introduction of the panelists below (sorted alphabetically),
Dr. Bholanath Sharma Ghimire, Professor, Pulchowk Campus, Tribhuvan University
Dr. Bhola Ghimire with PhD from IIT Bombay and MSc in Hydropower Development from Norway is professor of Hydropower Engineering in Tribhuvan University. Dr. Ghimire has more than 25 year’s professional experience in the field of Civil Engineering in Water Resources Engineering as well as Hydropower Engineering. Dr. Ghimire has published more than 30 research review/peered review papers in national/international journals. He has also participated in various international seminars/conferences as a keynote speaker, Session chairs etc. Presently, Dr. Ghimire is a Director for CARD (Centre for Applied Research and Development). CARD is an autonomous research body in Dean’s office at IoE. Normally, CARD plays the role to extend international relationship between IoE to international research organizations.
Mr. Chhabi Raj Pokhrel, General Secretary, Nepal Engineers’ Association; CEO, Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited
Mr. Chhabi Raj Pokharel is the General Secretary of Nepal Engineers’ Association and the Chief Executive Officer of Hydroelectricity Investment and Development Company Limited (HIDCL), which is a government financial institution established to ensure the financial resources required for the overall development of Hydropower sector. He received his bachelor degree in Civil Engineering from Institute of Engineering, Tribhuvan University and masters in Environmental Engineering from China University of Geosciences. Mr. Chhabi Pokhrel is an Civil Engineer with demonstrated experiences in Development of Rural Infrastructure, Strategic Planning, evaluation, organization/fund management and Impact Analysis. He has more than15 years of experience working in the development field in various capacities.
Mr. Govinda Chalise, Solu Khola (Dudhkoshi) Hydroelectric Project, Sahas Urja Limited
Mr. Chalise is presently working as Project Manager, Solu Khola (Dudhkoshi) hydroelectric project - 86MW developed by Sahas Urja Limited. He has about 17 years of experience in hydropower sector mainly in Project Development, Planning, Design, Construction and Operation & Maintenance of hydro projects. Previously he had worked in reputed organizations like NHE, BPC, Hydro Consult Engineering, and Ru Ru Jalbidhyut Pariyojana Limited. He holds Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering and Masters in Business Administration.
Dr. Govinda Timilsina, Senior Research Economist, Development Research Group, The World Bank
Dr. Govinda Timilsina is a Senior Research Economist in the Sustainability and Infrastructure Team of the Development Research Group. He has more than 25 years of experience across a board range of energy and climate change economics at the international level. Prior to joining the World Bank in 2007, Dr. Timilsina was a Senior Research Director at the Canadian Energy Research Institute, Calgary, Canada where he was engaged mainly on climate change policy analysis, economic impacts assessment and electricity issues. Dr. Timilsina served as a member of high-level panels under the UN system. Currently, he is leading World Bank studies on cross-border/regional electricity trade, economics of renewable energy and carbon pricing for climate change mitigation. Dr. Timilsina holds a master's and a doctoral degree in energy economics from the Asian Institute of Technology, Bangkok.
Mr. Manohar Shrestha, Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Hydro-Consult Engineering Ltd.
Over 30 years of experience in hydropower within the country and abroad like in Bhutan, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Kenya and Uganda; mainly in consulting services. Msc. in hydraulics from Russsian University, Moscow (then Friendship university) in 1989, and Msc. in hydropower from NTNU, Trondheim, Norway in 1997. Present advisor; and former President of Nepal Norway Alumni Association.
Mr. Pratik Man Singh Pradhan, Vice-President for Business Development & Project, Butwal Power Company (BPC)
Mr. Pradhan is the Vice-President for Business Development & Project, at Butwal Power Company (BPC), a leading private sector hydropower developer in Nepal. He has over 28 years of experience in the planning, development and implementation of hydropower projects, including hydraulics and environment research. At present he is also the Deputy General Manager for the development of more than 600 MW Marsyangdi Cascade projects in Nepal in a joint-venture cooperation with Chinese investments. Mr. Pradhan has previously served as General Manager in a hydraulics research laboratory named Hydro Lab Pvt. Ltd., which focused on hydraulic designs and sediment related issues in Nepal and the South Asia region. Mr. Pradhan has also served as the Chief Engineer of Himal Hydro, the leading construction company in Nepal. His construction management experience includes the construction of dams, intakes, tunnels and river protection for a number of hydropower projects in Nepal like Andhikhola Project, Jhimruk Project, Khimti-1 Project, and Modi Project. Mr. Pradhan has a Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering (1989) from India and a Master’s in Science in Hydropower Planning and Development from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (1995), Norway, as well as a second Master’s degree in Civil and Environmental Engineering from the University of Michigan (2007), USA.
The session will be moderated by Mr. Narayan Pokhrel, P.Eng. Mr. Pokhrel is a Member-At-Large of the ASNEngr Executive Committee. His brief introduction is below.
Mr. Narayan Pokhrel, Senior Engineer, P.Eng., City of Calgary, Canada
Narayan Pokhrel, P. Eng, is a Professional Engineer working with various power utilities, engineering consulting firms and government organization is a senior water resources engineer and hydropower engineer with more than 25 years of industry experience. Mr. Pokhrel has acquired master’s degree in Hydropower Development from Norway, he was Manager of Engineering Consulting Division of Butwal Power Company until 2006 before moving to Canada. He has completed management and hydrology courses from Universities in Canada. Key areas of expertise include engineering studies, financial and economic evaluations and dam safety and flood management. Currently working as a Senior Engineer with the City of Calgary, River Engineering Unit.