Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet, has said only surplus power would be exported to India.

During a meeting of the National Concern and Coordination Committee under the National Assembly on Thursday, government was for consuming electricity within country and only the excessive electricity would be sold to India. Government has initiated a process for it, he reminded.

Even a credible base for production of 28,500MW power in 12 years was created, Minister Basnet informed the lawmakers, adding that a 12-year-old strategic plan (2023 to 2035BS) was prepared to usher development through energy in the country.

According to him, Nepal and India had signed agreement on export of 10,000 MW electricity from Nepal to India in 10 years, for which, infrastructures were being prepared. Minister Basnet insisted that power trade agreement was made by keeping national interest in centre. Nepal’s electricity would also be sold to Bangladesh.

Moreover, the Minister shared that government had intensified the process via Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to expand domestic electrification. In coming one and half year, the country would be fully electrified at basic level.

On the occasion, ministry secretary Gopal Prasad Sigdel informed the lawmakers about the recent agreement Nepal and India had on power trade, which Sigdel, argued would contribute to country’s economic development and prosperity.

The technical and other issues would however be sorted out gradually by the bilateral joint-secretary level meetings.

In response to the lawmakers’ query on dedicated and trunk line tariff, secretary Sigdel informed that government was making special initiatives for solving this pressing problem. Even a commission was formed by the Cabinet to this end Deputy Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Manoj Silwal, said campaign of nationwide electrification was on.

Lawmakers including Ram Chandra Rai, Kumar Dasaudi, Sonam Gyaljen Sherpa, Gopi Achhami, had inquired minister and secretary on various issues relating to electricity consumption and agreement in the meeting.