Nepal and India Agree to Increase Cross-Border Power Trade

The meetings of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) and Joint Working Group (JWG) on power sector cooperation between Nepal and India concluded in Pokhara on Wednesday, with the two sides agreeing to increase Nepal’s power export capacity to India to 1,650 megawatts.

The 13th meeting of the Joint Steering Committee on Power Sector Cooperation was co-chaired by Nepal’s Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Secretary Sarita Dawadi and India’s Secretary at the Ministry of Power, Pankaj Agarwal.

Under the agreement on combined power transfer, Nepal’s electricity exports to India will increase from the existing 1,100 megawatts to 1,650 megawatts. Similarly, Nepal will be able to import up to 1,400 megawatts of electricity from India, up from the current 1,000 megawatts, through the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur and Dhalkebar–Sitamadhi cross-border transmission lines, according to the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation.

The meetings reviewed various aspects of bilateral cooperation in the power sector, including hydropower development, electricity trade and the expansion of transmission infrastructure.

The two sides also discussed measures to expedite and facilitate the implementation of ongoing and planned power generation and transmission projects.