Nepal to export 370 MW power to India via low-capacity lines

Nepal is considering exporting 370 megawatts (MW) of electricity to India via low-capacity transmission lines. This decision comes in light of the fact that the only existing high-capacity 400kV Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur line is the only option available, as other high-capacity transmission lines under construction have not yet been completed.

The maximum amount of electricity Nepal can export through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur Cross-Border Transmission is 1,000 MW, and at the Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting in Rajasthan, India, in February, the two countries agreed to transmit up to 800 MW.

However, India has so far allowed Nepal to export only up to 452.6 MW, which is generated by its ten hydropower projects. At the JSC meeting, they also discussed the possibility of exploring other cross-border power lines with small capacity for cross-border electricity trading.

Currently, there are 11 lower-capacity cross-border power lines connecting the two countries. Prabal Adhikari, the director of energy trading at the state-owned Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), said they proposed to export about 70 MW through the 32 kV Mahendranagar-Tanakpur transmission line. This line has previously been used for importing power from India.