One of the most successful Austrian development aid projects in recent years involves providing a Nepalese village in the Himalayas with hydropower.

For more than three decades the Sherpas from Nangi in the Himalaya area have been relying on the know-how and technology provided by Austrian hydropower specialists such as EFG Maschinenbau, which is headquartered in the Austrian province of Carinthia. In the village of Nangi, a small outpost on the road to Mount Everest, a 1-Megawatt hydropower plant with two machine units by the Carinthian specialists has been operating reliably for the past 18 years or so. A third machine unit  especially designed for the altitude and the  rough conditions was added this spring. In preparation of the expansion, the members of staff responsible for the power station received extensive training at turbine manufacturer EFG’s facilities in Feldkirchen last summer. The training sessions also provided a welcome opportunity for mutually interesting cultural exchange.