Kathmandu, June 15: Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has resumed exporting 40 megawatts of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian transmission. Power from Nepal to Bangladesh was exported for the first time for 12 hours on July 15 last year. It has resumed from June 15 (i.e. today) of this year.
A power sale agreement had been signed between NEA, Bangladesh Power Development Board and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited of India last year, which led to export of electricity for only 12 hours last year.
Nepal has been exporting excess electricity during the rainy season to neighboring India for five months every year. This year, starting today, NEA will export electricity to Bangladesh for the next five months i.e. until November 15.
Subarna Sapkota, Deputy Manager of the NEA Electricity System Control Department, shared that 146.88 million units of electricity will be exported in five months. The government will earn Rs 1.29 billion in five months from the sale of the electricity. The selling rate of electricity exported under the agreement is 6.40 US cents per unit. The electricity will reach Bhermara Substation in Bangladesh via Muzaffarpur, Behrampur, India from Nepal’s 400 KV Dhalkebar Substation.
Meanwhile, the NEA has continued its electricity exports to neighboring India. The NEA has also started exporting electricity to the Indian state of Haryana this year. It had been exporting 185 MW of electricity since June 1, which increased to 200 MW from Saturday. As per the bilateral agreement between Nepal and India, the selling rate of this electricity export is 5.25 Indian rupees per unit.
Similarly, the NEA has also started exporting 80 MW of electricity to the Indian state of Bihar since 12:00 last night. In addition, additional electricity is being purchased and sold in the Indian market through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 kV and 132 kV transmission lines. As the electricity production in Nepal has increased with the onset of the rainy season the surplus electricity is being exported to India and Bangladesh.
