The authority says that selling electricity to Bangladesh will generate a monthly income of 330 million rupees.

The geographical distance (air distance) between Nepal and Bangladesh is only about 22 kilometers. However, there is no transmission line to export electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh. Nepal will need India to provide a route to sell electricity to Bangladesh.

Since there is no direct transmission line between Nepal and Bangladesh, Nepal’s electricity will need to travel more than 500 kilometers. The inter-country transmission line between Nepal and India will extend from the 400 kV Dhalkebar substation to Muzaffarpur in India. From the Muzaffarpur substation, it will reach Baharampur in India through 220 kV and 400 kV transmission lines. Then, it will reach Bangladesh through the inter-country transmission line between India and Bangladesh. Finally, Nepal’s electricity will reach Bheramara in Bangladesh via India’s Baharampur transmission line.

The Nepal Electricity Authority will sell 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh in US dollars for five years during the six-month monsoon season, from June 15 to November 15 each year. The authority has stated that it will receive 6.40 US cents per unit by selling electricity to Bangladesh.

The price of electricity exported to Bangladesh via the first 400 kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur inter-country transmission line between Nepal and India will be received by the authority at the Muzaffarpur point in India. This means the meter for the electricity exported to Bangladesh will be located in Muzaffarpur. The authority will bear the technical losses of the transmission line from Dhalkebar to Muzaffarpur. From Muzaffarpur, the electricity will reach Bangladesh through India’s transmission line via the Baharampur (India)-Bheramara (Bangladesh) 400 kV transmission line.

The authority will need to finalize the agreement within the next month. The authority’s spokesperson, Chandan Kumar Ghosh, stated that this is just a sign of a new beginning economically. He mentioned that selling electricity will generate a monthly income of 330 million rupees for the country.

Source: NEA