ABSTRACT
At present Nepalese energy consumption is heavily dependent on biomass energy sources which currently account for more than 90 per cent of the total energy consumption. Firewood is the single most important energy source, accounting for 76 per cent of the total consumption, followed by agricultural residues (15 per cent) and dung (8 per cent). Some 43 per cent of Nepal’s total area is covered by forests and of this total area of 6.3 million hectares about 4.6 million hectares are available for firewood production. It has been estimated that this area produces a sustainable supply of firewood in the order of 7.5 million tonnes, whereas usage is somewhere-around 11 million tonnes. The remaining energy consumption is covered by fossil fuels (petroleum and coal) which have to be imported. Although these energy sources cover a mere 8.2 per cent of the total energy consumption, their imports have to be paid for by one third of the total foreign exchange earnings. Finally, hydroelectric power accounts for about one per cent of the total energy consumption.
