December 11: With the onset of dry season, Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has started importing electricity from India. The flow of water in the rivers and streams has decreased due to the onset of winter and the production of the power plants in the country has started to decrease.

As the demand for electricity has increased in the domestic market, the NEA has started importing electricity import from the Indian market.

The NEA had been selling surplus electricity to India during the monsoon.  The authority said that electricity export has already been stopped from Friday night.

Kulman Ghising, executive director of the authority, said that the maximum demand for electricity on a daily basis is around 1,700 megawatts, and since domestic production alone is not enough to meet it, a small amount of electricity has been imported.

"Currently, electricity generation and demand are almost equal, we are collecting water in our semi-reservoir power plants during the day and night time and running them during the peak hours in the evening and morning to meet the electricity demand," said Executive Director Ghising.

According to Ghising, the export will resume from the second week of Baisakh (last week of April, 2024).

“This year, around 900 megawatts electricity is being added to the national grid. Similarly, next year, power worth approximately Rs 25 billion will be exported. High-powered transmission lines are being constructed for improving the transmission of electricity between the two countries. On the other hand, hydropower projects are being built within the country. In this context, a climate is being created wherein electricity worth around Rs 100 billion will be exported in the next five years." 

The NEA exported electricity worth Rs 15.4 billion to India between June 1 and December 6, 2023. A maximum of 700 megawatts of electricity was sold on a daily basis at Rs 8.77 per unit.