Kathmandu. Nepal Electricity Authority has exported electricity worth 5.92 billion rupees to India in the month of October of the current financial year (FY) 2083/84.
Due to the flood, the production of some hydropower projects was stopped and the export was affected, but compared to last year’s October and August of the current year, the turnover received from electricity export has increased in October this year, according to the authority.
According to the statistics of the Electricity System Operation Department (Load Dispatch Center) of Nepal Electricity Authority, a total of 633.39 million 86 thousand 8 units of electricity were exported to India in the month of October. 5 billion 92 million rupees worth of business has been generated from the sale of electricity.
In the month of October, electricity was exported to India through two channels. According to the authority, power was sold to the states of Haryana and Bihar in India as per the bilateral power sale agreement, while the remaining power was sold at competitive rates in the day-ahead and real-time markets of the Indian Energy Exchange Market IX.
The authority has been exporting the saved monsoon electricity to India and Bangladesh every year after meeting domestic demand. According to the Bilateral Mid-Term Power Sale Agreement, power is sold in the states of Haryana and Bihar from June to October. Last year in the month of October 2082, there was a turnover of 4 billion 963 million rupees from electricity export to India.
In August of the current financial year, such transaction amount was 5.9 billion 2.5 million rupees. According to this, compared to last year’s October, the export turnover in October this year has increased by 962.2 million rupees and compared to August by 832.5 million rupees.
In the first three months of the current year, in July, August and October, a total of 16 billion 15 billion 13 million rupees has been generated from electricity export. The executive director of Nepal Electricity Authority, Galgayu Kumar Shrestha, said that although the production of some hydropower projects approved for export was stopped due to floods, the amount of business received from electricity export increased in the month of October.
About two-thirds of the total power exported to India in October was sold under bilateral agreements and the rest through IX.
Meanwhile, the 40 MW power export to Bangladesh using India’s transmission system has also resumed. The export of 40 megawatt electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh using India’s transmission infrastructure has resumed from the evening of last Friday, October 6.
On August 10th, due to the snowfall in the Bhotekoshi river in Rasuwa, the flood in the Trishuli river caused damage to the Trishuli and Chilime hydropower stations approved for export to Bangladesh, and the export was stopped.
India’s power export to the state of Haryana was partially affected due to the damage to the hydroelectric power station approved under the bilateral agreement due to the floods.
Shrestha, the Executive Director of the Authority, said that after receiving approval from the Central Electricity Authority of India to export electricity produced from other hydropower plants to Bangladesh, the export resumed.
Despite the impact on the production and transmission structure of the flood-affected hydropower projects, the continuation of electricity exports from other projects and the resumption of exports to Bangladesh is an important achievement for Nepal’s electricity trade, he said. The Authority expects that this will help in the market management of excess electricity produced during the rainy season and the expansion of regional electricity trade.
According to the new arrangement, instead of Trishuli, Devighat and Chilime Hydropower Stations, approval has been received to export the electricity produced from Solu, Kabeli-1 and Lower Modi Hydropower Stations to Bangladesh and Haryana.
Nepal Electricity Authority and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) signed a five-year agreement on monsoon electricity export on October 17, 2081. According to the agreement, 40 megawatts of electricity is being exported to Bangladesh every year during the six months from June 15 to November 15.
Meanwhile, an additional 31 MW power export permit has been received from the Central Electricity Authority of India. With the new permit, the total electricity capacity approved for export to India has reached about 1,179 MW.