Nepal, April 14 -- Nepal began harnessing its water resources more than a century ago. The 500-kilowatt Pharping hydropower plant came into operation in 1911 AD, effectively laying the foundation for Nepal's identity as a water resources-rich country. More than 110 years down the road, Nepal finds itself at a crossroads in its energy journey - thanks to institutional inertia, regulatory bottlenecks and a lack of political commitment to realize the hydropower potential, allegedly said to be one of the largest in the world. The government has unveiled an ambitious target of generating 28,500 megawatts of electricity over the next decade. The private sector or independent power producers have a huge role to play if we are to meet that target...