Nepal resumes electricity exports to Bangladesh after nearly two-month suspension

Nepal has resumed exporting 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh after a nearly two-month suspension caused by flooding that damaged key hydropower plants.

Bangladesh Power Development Board chairman Rezaul Karim said Sunday that supplies resumed Friday through India’s transmission network.

Severe flooding along Nepal’s Bhotekoshi River on Aug. 26 damaged the Trishuli and Chilime hydropower plants, forcing authorities to suspend exports.

India’s Central Electricity Authority subsequently approved electricity exports from two alternative facilities, Solu Khola and Kabeli B-1, allowing supplies to resume.

Nepal Electricity Authority executive director Dirghayu Kumar Shrestha described the resumption as an important development in regional electricity trade despite damage to generating facilities and transmission infrastructure.

Under a five-year agreement signed Oct. 3, 2024, Nepal supplies Bangladesh with 40 megawatts of electricity from June 15 through Nov. 15 annually, using surplus hydropower generated during the monsoon season.