KATHMANDU: Nepal exported power to India worth INR 2.62 billion (about Rs 4.19 billion) between mid-July and mid-August of this year. With power costing Rs 8.51 per unit, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) stated that daily exports totaled Rs 131.1 million. After satisfying domestic consumption needs, the nation can use excess power to sell around 700 MW of electricity each day, according to NEA Managing Director Kulman Ghising.
During the 2023–2024 fiscal year, Nepal became a net exporter of power, bringing in Rs 120 million from energy-related trade with India. Over this time, Nepal spent Rs 16.81 billion on imports from India and exported power worth Rs 16.93 billion. Ghising pointed out that while Nepal still relies on imported power during the winter, this dependency will lessen as the country's potential for producing electricity grows.
While the nation's capacity to produce electricity is 3,157 MW, having tripled over the preceding eight years, Nepal's peak demand is 2,650 MW. With so much electricity to spare, Nepal is focusing on selling it to its two neighbors, Bangladesh and India. A significant agreement was reached in January about the selling of 10,000 MW of power from Nepal to India for the ensuing ten years.
Since October 2021, when India initially approved the import of 39 MW, Nepal's power exports to India have increased significantly. The number shot up to 1.7371 billion units by 2023. India recently decided to buy an extra 251 MW from 12 hydropower projects in Nepal, increasing the total to 941 MW from 28 projects.
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