NREP organized a series of Renewable Energy (RE) orientation events aimed at sensitizing 316 Local Governments (LGs) in Madhesh, Lumbini, and Karnali provinces on access to energy through renewable energy sources. NREP collaborated with the Alternative Energy Promotion Center (APEC) and received support from National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal (NARMIN) and the Municipal Association of Nepal (MuAN) to conduct 14 orientation events for municipal officials.

Eight orientation events were organised for rural municipality officials, while six orientation events were held for urban municipality officials, including newly elected mayors, deputy mayors, and chief administrative officers. These events were organised between December 2022 and February 2023.

With the institutionalisation of federalism, the Constitution of Nepal 2015 empowered LGs to promote small-scale RE schemes as part of reliable rural electrification. However, LGs need to enhance their capacity to manage and utilize budgets to develop RE projects. The orientation programs were the outcome of this need.

The objective of the one-day orientation was to inform local government officials about the role of RE in local development, policy and regulatory provisions on RE, and funding options to promote RE across municipalities. These events were attended by 472 local government officials from 178 rural municipalities and 307 local government officials from 138 municipalities.

In these events, experts provided conceptual clarity of RE in relation to local development, institutional, policy and regulatory mechanisms surrounding RE, and the role of local governments in promoting RE. They also explained the Sustainable Energy Challenge Fund (SECF) as a good opportunity to promote RE for energy access and socio-economic development. SECF encourages various innovative approaches by the private sector to invest in renewable energy for energy access and socio-economic development.

The events not only raised awareness levels of municipal officials on RE but also developed their capacity to identify RE projects for sustainable development of their respective municipalities. This capacity building program is a significant step towards promoting sustainable energy for rural communities in Nepal.