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Nepal resumed exporting 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh through India’s transmission network on Friday evening, following a suspension caused by flood damage to two hydropower plants in August.
The disruption followed the August 26 Bhotekoshi flood, which damaged the Trishuli and Chilime hydropower plants. Both facilities had previously been approved to supply electricity to Bangladesh.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha said exports resumed after India’s Central Electricity Authority approved electricity generated by alternative hydropower plants for supply to Bangladesh.
Under the revised arrangement, electricity from the Solu Khola and Kabeli B1 hydropower plants has been approved for export to Bangladesh, while the Lower Modi Khola plant has received clearance to supply electricity to Haryana.
The new approvals replace the previous designations for the Trishuli, Chilime and Devighat hydropower plants, according to The Kathmandu Post.
Shrestha described the resumption of exports to Bangladesh, alongside continued electricity sales from other projects despite flood damage to hydropower plants and transmission infrastructure, as an important development for Nepal’s electricity trade.
The renewed exports are expected to help Nepal utilise surplus electricity generated during the monsoon season while expanding regional power trade.
The NEA and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a five-year agreement on October 3, 2024, for seasonal electricity exports. Under the deal, Nepal supplies 40MW of electricity to Bangladesh annually from June 15 to November 15.
Meanwhile, Nepal earned Rs5.925 billion from electricity exports to India between mid-September and mid-October 2026, recording higher revenue than in the same period last year and the preceding month despite flood damage to several hydropower projects.
According to data from the NEA’s Load Dispatch Centre, Nepal exported 633.986 million units of electricity to India during the period, generating Rs5.925 billion in revenue. Flooding had forced several hydropower plants approved for exports to India to shut down, affecting supplies.
Export earnings were Rs962 million higher than the Rs4.963 billion recorded during the corresponding period last year. They also exceeded the Rs5.0925 billion earned between mid-August and mid-September this year by Rs832.5 million.
Nepal sold the electricity through two channels. Under bilateral power sales agreements, it supplied electricity to the Indian states of Haryana and Bihar. The remaining power was sold at competitive rates through the day-ahead and real-time markets of the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
The NEA exports surplus electricity generated during the monsoon after meeting domestic demand. Under medium-term bilateral power sales agreements, Nepal supplies electricity to Haryana and Bihar from June to October each year.