Nepal Plans to Import 1,100 MW Power From India This Winter

Nepal plans to import up to 1,100 MW of electricity from India during winter as weather damage cuts hydropower capacity and domestic generation declines during the dry season.

Nepal is planning to import up to 1,100 MW of electricity from India during the upcoming dry season to meet peak domestic demand, as floods, landslides, and heavy monsoon rainfall have damaged hydropower infrastructure and reduced the country’s generation capacity.

The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) is preparing a work plan for the dry period from December 2026 to May 2027. Electricity generation from Nepal’s run-of-the-river hydropower projects generally declines during this period, while demand rises, particularly between February and May.

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NEA spokesperson Rajan Dhakal said Nepal would need to import some electricity from India after November, with the highest requirement expected during the February-May period. Nepal currently has around 3,740 MW of electricity generation capacity in operation.

Recent weather-related events have affected this capacity. Flash floods in the Bhotekoshi area on August 26 damaged several hydropower plants and related infrastructure, resulting in the loss of about 450 MW of generation capacity. Heavy rainfall between September 24 and 27 subsequently damaged the 190 MW Kaligandaki hydropower project.

According to the NEA, the combined impact of these incidents has reduced Nepal’s generation capacity by about 640 MW. The authority is therefore considering imports of up to 1,100 MW from India to balance supply and demand during the dry season.

India has already approved power exports to Nepal to help address the shortfall caused by the damage to its hydropower infrastructure. The Ministry of Power approved exports of up to 600 MW through the Muzaffarpur-Dhalkebar transmission line and up to 54 MW through the Tanakpur-Mahendranagar line from September 13 to December 31, 2026. The power export requirement from January 2027 will be reviewed in December.

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Despite the damage, Nepal is currently exporting between 600 MW and 700 MW of electricity to India during periods of higher domestic generation. The country has increasingly used cross-border electricity trade to export surplus hydropower during the wet season and import power when generation declines in the dry months.

The NEA expects around 160 MW of capacity affected by the Bhotekoshi floods to return by February following maintenance. The 190 MW Kaligandaki project is also expected to resume generation within a few months, which could ease pressure on Nepal’s electricity supply during the dry season.