Nepal to export 1,200 MW to India and Bangladesh this winter, a record
A new cross-border line and a three-way deal will let Nepal sell dry-season surplus for the first time. It could earn the country NPR 38 billion.
Nepal will export up to 1,200 megawatts of electricity this winter, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) confirmed on Wednesday. That's double last year's peak, and the first time the country has sold power across borders during the dry season.
The jump comes from two things: the second circuit of the 400 kV Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur line, and a three-way agreement signed in August that routes 40 MW to Bangladesh through the Indian grid.
“For decades we imported power in winter. Now we sell it. That's a structural shift for the economy.” — NEA Managing Director
Why winter matters
Most of Nepal's hydropower is run-of-river, so output falls sharply in the dry months. Until now, the surplus existed only in the monsoon. New storage projects and higher installed capacity, now over 3,800 MW, have changed that balance.
- 1,200 MW: planned winter export peak
- NPR 38 billion: estimated earnings this fiscal year
- 3,860 MW: total installed capacity
- 40 MW: first power sale to Bangladesh
Critics warn that domestic industry still faces outages in some corridors. The Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry asked the NEA to "put factories before exports".
The NEA says local demand will be served first, and that exports will run only on forecast surplus, reviewed day by day.