India approves 18-hour export of power a day to Nepal till year-end

India has approved the export of up to 654 MW of electricity to Nepal for 18 hours a day from September 13 to December 31, 2026, the Ministry of Power said. The approval allows up to 600 MW to be supplied through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar 400 kV line and another 54 MW through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar 132 kV line.

Kathmandu had sought advance import approvals effective September to mitigate generation deficits caused by the recent flash floods.

This approval for power demand from Nepal comes at a time when India is witnessing unusual domestic needs due to sultry weather, irrigation demand through a rather dry monsoon season, and less wind and hydro electricity generation amid the El Nino effect.


While solar hours are seeing sufficient generation to provide for the overall power demand in the country, non-solar hours have pressured coal-based and gas-based power plants. India's peak power demand has been hovering above 260 GW, which is unusually high for September. On September 10, the peak power demand met was 269 GW, while in the non-solar hours on the same day, peak demand was 236 GW, with a shortage of 6.1 GW.

The request to facilitate increased power flow to Nepal as needed has been processed in accordance with established frameworks, including trade through the day-ahead market and real-time market segments of the Indian power exchanges.