Nearly Rs 6 billion electricity export in Asoj, export to Bangladesh resumes

Kathmandu. The Nepal Electricity Authority exported electricity worth Rs 5.925 billion to India in the month of Asoj of the current fiscal year (FY) 2083/84. Although floods halted generation at some hydropower projects and affected exports, earnings from electricity exports in Asoj this year increased compared to Asoj last year and Bhadau of the current FY.

According to data from the Authority's Electricity System Operation Department (Load Dispatch Center), a total of 63.398 million 608 thousand units of electricity was exported to India in Asoj. The sale of this electricity generated transactions worth Rs 5.925 billion.

Electricity was exported to India through two channels in Asoj:

• Under the bilateral power sale agreement, electricity was sold to India's Haryana and Bihar states.
• The remaining electricity was sold in the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX) day-ahead and real-time markets at competitive rates.

The Authority has been exporting surplus monsoon-season electricity to India and Bangladesh every year after meeting domestic demand. Under the bilateral medium-term power sale agreement, electricity is sold to Haryana and Bihar from June to October.

In Asoj of last year (2082), transactions from electricity exports to India amounted to Rs 4.963 billion. In Bhadau of the current FY, such transactions stood at Rs 5.0925 billion.

Accordingly, export earnings in Asoj this year increased by Rs 962 million compared to Asoj last year and by Rs 832.5 million compared to Bhadau. In the first three months of the current FY—Shrawan, Bhadau, and Asoj—total transactions from electricity exports amounted to Rs 16.1513 billion.

Executive Director Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha said that although floods halted generation at some hydropower projects approved for export, earnings from electricity exports increased in Asoj. According to him, about two-thirds of the total electricity exported to India in Asoj was sold under the bilateral agreement, with the remainder through IEX.

40 MW electricity export to Bangladesh resumes

The export of 40 MW of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh via India's transmission infrastructure resumed on the evening of Friday, Kartik 6.

Export had been halted after the flood in the Trishuli River—caused by a glacial lake outburst flood in the Bhote Koshi River in Rasuwa on Bhadau 10—damaged the Trishuli and Chilime hydropower stations approved for export to Bangladesh. The damage to hydropower stations approved under the bilateral agreement also partially affected electricity exports to India's Haryana state.

Executive Director Shrestha said exports resumed after the Central Electricity Authority of India granted approval to export electricity generated by other hydropower stations to Bangladesh. He noted that continuing electricity exports from other projects despite the impact of floods on generation and transmission infrastructure of affected hydropower projects, and the resumption of exports to Bangladesh, is a significant achievement for Nepal's power trade.

He said this is expected to help manage the market for surplus monsoon-season electricity and expand regional power trade.

Under the new arrangement, approval has been granted to export electricity generated by the Solu, Kabeli-1, and Lower Modi hydropower stations to Bangladesh and Haryana instead of the Trishuli, Devighat, and Chilime stations.

The Electricity Authority and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a five-year monsoon-season electricity export agreement on Asoj 17, 2081. Under the agreement, 40 MW of electricity is exported daily to Bangladesh during the six-month period from June 15 to November 15 each year.