The Hindu Kush–Himalaya (HKH) area holds a number of the world’s richest untapped renewable vitality sources, but progress in harnessing them has been modest, in keeping with a brand new evaluation by the Worldwide Centre for Built-in Mountain Growth (ICIMOD). The findings have been launched through the Asia-Pacific Clear Vitality Week in Bangkok.
The research reveals that out of the 882 gigawatts (GW) of recognized hydropower potential throughout Afghanistan, Bhutan, Bangladesh, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal, and Pakistan, as a lot as 635 GW lies inside the rivers of the HKH. Nonetheless, solely 49 per cent of this has been utilised thus far. Regardless of the big potential, clear vitality presently accounts for simply 6.1 per cent of the area’s complete major vitality provide.
Past hydropower, the evaluation highlights that the HKH additionally affords huge alternatives in photo voltaic and wind. Collectively, these non-hydro sources exceed 3 terawatts—virtually double the mixed local weather pledges of those eight nations, which stand at 1.7 TW. Unlocking this potential might considerably strengthen regional vitality safety, help low-carbon growth, and assist meet international local weather targets.
Consultants observe that larger cross-border collaboration, funding in grid integration, and stronger coverage frameworks are important to bridge the hole between potential and deployment. For instance, Bhutan and Nepal have already made strides in hydropower exports, however broader cooperation might rework the area right into a clear vitality powerhouse.
The report requires governments to prioritise each hydropower growth and diversification into photo voltaic and wind to make sure a balanced, resilient vitality combine. With rising vitality calls for and rising local weather dangers, tapping the HKH’s renewable wealth is not only a possibility—it’s an pressing necessity.
Harnessing the HKH’s huge sources might flip South Asia’s mountains into the spine of a sustainable vitality future.
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