India to import 80 MW extra power from Nepal

By A Staff Reporter,Kathmandu, Aug. 23: Nepal has further obtained permission from India to export an additional 80 megawatts of electricity. 

According to Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), the Indian government has given its consent for the purchase of electricity generated from two hydropower projects in Nepal. 

The electricity generated from the 48.5 MW Mewa Khola Hydropower Project and the 31.04 MW Karuwa Seti Hydropower Project will be exported to India as per the new approval. 

The latest approval was received on Thursday. 

The permission granted for the medium-term purchase under the bilateral agreement is for the period from August 21, 2025 to October 31, 2026. With this, the total electricity export permission to India has reached 1,090.9 MW. Last time, the government of India granted permission for the export of 200 MW on August 11. Nepal's total export permission has now reached 1,130.9 MW, including 40 MW from Bangladesh. The NEA started exporting 40 MW to Bangladesh through the Indian transmission line commercially from June 15.

The NEA has been exporting surplus electricity to India and Bangladesh during the rainy season. However, the country still has to import electricity from India to meet the demand during the dry season, even exporting in the rainy season.

According to the NEA, the installed capacity of hydropower reached 3,591 MW by the end of last fiscal year. Similarly, a total of 434 MW was added to the NEA system in the fiscal year 2024/25. Of this, the contribution of the NEA's subsidiaries is 153.5 MW, while the contribution of the private sector is 280.5 MW. Among the subsidiary companies of NEA, 111 MW from Rasuwagadhi Hydropower Company and 42.5 MW from Sanjen Hydropower Company have been added.

In the last fiscal year, the NEA exported 2.35 billion units of electricity worth about Rs. 17.46 billion. Of the total export, electricity worth about Rs. 17.19 billion was exported to India, while Bangladesh purchased power worth Rs. 266.7 million from Nepal. The NEA exported 1.94 billion units of electricity worth Rs. 16.9 billion to India in 2023/24.

Last year, electricity worth about Rs. 12.92 billion was imported from India, but the volume of imports has been gradually decreasing.