NEW DELHI: Govt has agreed to export 654MW of electricity daily to flood-ravaged Nepal for 18 hours a day till Dec 31. The ministry of power Monday said the recent floods caused significant damage to hydropower infrastructure in Nepal, reducing its domestic power generation capacity and creating an additional requirement for electricity, reports Atul Mathur.Beginning Sunday, India started exporting up to 600MW electricity between midnight and 6pm to Nepal Electricity Authority through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV DC line and up to 54MW through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV SC line.
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“The quantum of power to be exported from Jan 2027 will be reviewed in Dec,” the ministry said in a statement, adding, “India remains committed to supporting Nepal and strengthening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector,” the ministry added.Officials said floods in the Trishuli/Lhende Khola river basin on Aug 26 caused severe damage to infrastructure and disrupted some generating stations, following which Kathmandu requested India to advance the export mechanism, which otherwise begins in Oct and remains in place during the winter months.Nepal’s generation capacity was reduced by nearly 550MW due to the damage.“The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and long-standing energy cooperation between the two countries,” an official said. India imports hydropower from Nepal during summer and exports electricity in the dry winter, when river flows fall and generation is impacted.