Government of Nepal
Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation

Alternative Energy Promotion Centre
Central Renewable Energy Fund

The Nepal Renewable Energy Programme (NREP) is a Government of Nepal programme dedicated to increasing private sector investment in distributed renewable energy (DRE) and increasing universal energy access, while facilitating a policy, planning, legal construct, and regulatory environment conducive to both enabling and sustaining progress in DRE market development and universal energy access.

The Central Renewable Energy Fund (CREF), a financial mechanism of Alternative Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) has recently established a Viability Gap Funding based Sustainable Energy Challenge Fund (SECF) with funding support from UK-Aid. SECF provides financial and technical assistance to the distributed renewable energy projects to ensure their financial viability and sustainable operation.

The SECF application process has 2-stage process. In the first stage, applications for Concept Note of potential DRE projects, up to 1 MW in installed capacity are requested. The Concept Notes will be shortlisted based on eligibility of the applicant; technical potentiality, financial aspect, and expected results and impact of the project. In the second stage, short listed Concept Notes applicants will be invited to submit Full Applications, which will undergo due diligence and evaluation by an Independent Evaluation Panel of DRE experts.

In the pilot phase of the programme, projects developed in Province 2, Lumbini and Karnali provinces will be supported and applications are requested from the project developers of:

• DRE projects developed in a Public Private Partnership model in partnership with local and provincial governments
• Projects to be implemented by aggregating demands of DRE technologies and projects for improving energy access including electric cooking to households, micro, small and medium enterprises
• Projects to improve energy access to the households through reverse auction. Interested local governments are requested to submit the expression of interest to develop the energy access project through reverse auction modality via online application portal by 4^th July 2021 Apply for SECF.
• Projects proposed for the improvement of technical, financial and managerial aspects of the existing mini and micro hydro projects or other renewable energy mini-grid project
• Grid-connected solar PV installations at commercial, institutional and industrial buildings (where minimum of 51% of the annual energy produced is used for self-consumption) for bank interest rate buy-down
• Grid-connected solar PV installations at commercial, institutional and industrial buildings (where minimum of 51% of the annual energy produced is used for self-consumption) for incentives based on kWh generation
• Innovative DRE projects that meet SECF objectives, e.g. those that may include hybrid generation types, advanced controls that provide grid support and reliability, advanced energy storage technologies that manage grid load, etc.
• Projects that leverage a Loan Guarantee Mechanism, such as First Loss Guarantee or other Partial Risk Guarantee, with limited liability and/or recourse to ease collateral requirement: Interested commercial banks are requested to submit the expression of interest to participate in the guarantee mechanism via online application portal by 4^th July 2021 Apply for SECF.

With this notice, AEPC/CREF invites all the eligible applicants to submit the Concept Note via online application portal by 4^th July 2021. Apply for SECF. Concept notes received till 4^th July 2021 will be evaluated in first lot. The concept note portal will be open to submit the concept note after 4^th July as well. All the concept notes received after 4^th July will be evaluated in different lots.

The Programme has scheduled a pre-submission virtual meeting for interested applicants on 18^th June 2021 from 2 PM to 4 PM.
Please download the Calendar Invite to the meeting and integrate it to your calendar.

Please click here to join the meeting. Interested applicants can also contact us through secf_queries@NREPNepal.com  or call us at 9802323318.

For SECF Information Package including eligibility criteria, application process and Funding Windows, you may visit the following websites: www.moewri.gov.np, www.aepc.gov.np, www.cref.gov.np, https://nrepnepal.com.

AEPC/CREF reserve the right to accept or reject, wholly or partly any or all the project concepts without assigning any reason, whatsoever.