Can Nepal cook dal bhat on its own electricity?

Nepal has been talking about its energy future for years. We talk about hydropower, electricity exports, electric vehicles and reducing our dependence on imported petroleum products. But one part of that future deserves much more attention: the kitchen. Every household cooks.

Every hotel, restaurant, resort, café, canteen, tea shop and food business cooks. And much of that cooking still depends on imported cooking gas. So this is a question of energy security, foreign currency and Nepal’s long-term future. As a chef who has worked in professional kitchens in Nepal and abroad, I have seen first-hand how important energy is to hospitality.

Nepal should start planning now for a 10-year National Electric Cooking Mission: practical, affordable and gradual, and ready before the next cooking gas crisis. Nepal does not produce the widely used Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) cooking gas; all of it comes from India. Official Foreign Trade Statistics show 514.34 million kilograms imported in fiscal year 2022/23, about 1,409 tonnes every day.