1.3 Energy Poverty, Energy Equity and Energy Governance

• Energy poverty: households and enterprises lacking adequate, affordable, reliable energy — measured by access (connection), quality (hours of supply), and affordability (share of income spent). • Energy equity: fair distribution of energy's benefits and burdens — rural versus urban, rich versus poor, and today's consumers versus future generations (intergenerational equity). • Energy governance: who decides — ministries, regulators, utilities, communities — under what rules, with what transparency and accountability. Nepal's governance story: from a state monopoly to licensing, independent power producers, and a sector regulator.