Nepal Earns Rs 29.32 Arba from Electricity Exports to India and Bangladesh

Nepal  has set a record of earning Rs 29.32 arba from cross-border electricity exports in fiscal year 2082/083, posting a net trade surplus of Rs 18.76 arba more than four times higher as that of the  previous year according to data released by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA).

This surplus has expanded by 313 times as the export earnings went up by 67.96%, but the import expenditure went down by 18.29%. Nepal exported 3.87 arba units (kWh) of electricity to India and Bangladesh in the review year, up by 62.89 percent from 2.38 arba units sold in FY 2081/082.

The power was traded through India's open market (IEX-DAM, IEX-RTM, NVVN) and trilateral power trade with Bangladesh, at an average tariff of Rs 7.56 per unit.

Meanwhile, Electricity imports declined by 31.57 percent to 1.14 arba units in 2082/083 from 1.68 arba units a year earlier, cutting import expenditure to Rs 10.55 arba from Rs 12.92 arba.

NEA attributed the improved trade balance to rising domestic hydropower generation, expansion of cross-border transmission infrastructure, and stronger energy trade management, calling it further evidence of Nepal's emergence as a self-reliant and profitable power exporter in the South Asian region.