The Nepal Electricity Authority has received approval to export an additional 34.95 MW of electricity to India.

The authority has been granted permission to export 24.25 MW from the Seti River Hydropower Project and 10.70 MW from the Upper Tadi Khola Hydropower Project to India’s competitive energy market, the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).

India’s designated authority, the Central Electricity Authority (CEA), granted the export approval on December 2nd . With this, the total amount of electricity the Nepal Electricity Authority is allowed to export through various channels (mid-term bilateral agreement and IEX) has reached 1,200 MW.

Earlier, the authority had approval to export 1,165 MW of electricity from 33 projects. Nepal is currently exporting 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh from two projects, and during the recent bilateral discussions held in Bangladesh, an agreement was reached to export an additional 20 MW of electricity to Bangladesh.

Similarly, India has extended the period for the Nepal Electricity Authority to export 204.58 MW of electricity. Previously, Nepal was granted approval to export electricity produced from 12 projects through a mid-term bilateral agreement from June 15 to October 31. This export permit has now been renewed, allowing Nepal to export the same 204.58 MW to India’s competitive market (IEX) for the remaining period of the year.

During the monsoon season, when Nepal produces more electricity than it consumes, the Nepal Electricity Authority has been exporting the surplus to India’s competitive market - the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) - through the day-ahead and real-time markets at competitive rates. Likewise, through mid-term bilateral agreements, electricity is being exported to Haryana and Bihar, and to Bangladesh using the Indian transmission line.

Nepalpurbadhar