Nepal Gets Green Light to Renew 283 MW Power Export to India

KATHMANDU, Oct 30

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has received approval from India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to renew its permit to export 283 megawatts (MW) of electricity to India.

The renewed authorization enables Nepal to continue selling power generated by four hydropower projects through India’s Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) and under bilateral agreements with the Indian states of Haryana and Bihar.

According to the NEA, Nepal’s surplus electricity, produced mainly during the wet season, is being exported competitively in both the day-ahead and real-time markets of IEX, as well as through mid-term bilateral contracts. Additionally, Nepal also exports electricity to Bangladesh using India’s transmission infrastructure.

The earlier IEX approval for 103 MW from four hydropower projects had recently expired. The new renewal, effective from last Tuesday, extends the export permit for about one year. Similarly, the bilateral export approval for 180 MW to Haryana remains valid until Thursday (today).

Every year around October, the NEA exports power to Haryana under the bilateral arrangement. This year, the authority had also requested approval to sell electricity from the same projects through the IEX market, which the CEA has now granted. Starting Friday, power from these four projects will be traded continuously in the IEX market.

During his recent visit to New Delhi to attend the 8th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, Nepal’s Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Kulman Ghising, met with India’s Minister of Power, Manohar Lal Khattar, and urged him to streamline and expedite the electricity export approval process.

Minister Ghising emphasized that Nepal is currently in its peak generation season and called for timely renewals to ensure uninterrupted power exports to India and other neighboring markets.