New Delhi, September 14: India has approved the export of up to 654 MW of electricity to Nepal for 18 hours a day from September 13 to December 31, after floods damaged hydropower infrastructure and reduced the country’s domestic generation capacity.
The Ministry of Power said the approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and strengthen energy cooperation between the two countries. “The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal,” the ministry said.
Under the approval, up to 600 MW can be exported through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV double-circuit line, while another 54 MW can be supplied through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV single-circuit line. The approved supply window is from 00:00 hours to 18:00 hours each day. The quantum of power to be exported from January 2027 will be reviewed in December.
The approval comes after floods damaged hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, affecting its ability to meet domestic electricity demand. Later reports from Nepal said more than 400 MW of generation capacity had been knocked offline in flood-affected areas, while several hydropower projects were damaged.
The floods have also disrupted Nepal’s electricity exports. Before the floods, Nepal was exporting surplus hydropower to India during the monsoon and had begun supplying 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh through India’s transmission network. Nepal’s electricity exports to Bangladesh were subsequently halted after flood damage affected hydropower projects supplying the cross-border trade.
Nepal normally relies more heavily on electricity imports from India during the dry season, when lower river flows reduce hydropower generation. The additional requirement has emerged earlier than Nepal’s usual seasonal import period because flood damage has reduced available generation during the monsoon.
Nepal had sought additional electricity supplies from India following the flood-related losses. Business Standard reported in August that Nepal had sought advance power-import approvals from India for September, with the requests being processed by the relevant authorities.
The latest approval is valid until December 31. Nepal’s electricity requirement from January 2027 onward will be reviewed in December, when the quantum of power to be exported beyond the current approval period will be assessed.
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