India to provide Nepal with ۶۵۴ megawatts of electricity daily to meet urgent needs after devastating glacial floods.
Published On ۱۴ Sep ۲۰۲۶
India has approved the expedited export of electricity to neighbouring Nepal to help it overcome shortages caused by extensive damage to hydropower infrastructure from devastating floods last month.
In a statement on Monday, India’s Ministry of Power said up to ۶۵۴ megawatts of electricity would be transmitted for ۱۸ hours per day until December ۳۱.
“The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal,” it said.
It added that in December it would also review the amount of power to be exported from January.
The flooding, triggered on August ۲۶ by a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, killed more than ۱,۴۰۰ people in Nepal and Tibet.
At least ۱۲ hydropower projects in Nepal were hit, with at least ۹۰۰ power station workers among the more than ۵,۵۰۰ people still missing in the country.
Almost ۱۰۰ percent of the country’s energy needs were met by hydropower before the floods hit. Since then, Nepal has been forced to import electricity after years of exporting surplus energy to India.
Thousands of displaced people are sheltering in aid centres, with little hope of returning home soon. The United Nations and its partners are appealing for nearly $۵۰m to help survivors.
Nepali officials say at least $۵bn is needed for initial rebuilding, adding that the disaster shows how climate change has hit poor countries that did little to cause it.
The Himalayas, where Nepal is nestled, are approaching a tipping point as glaciers melt faster than a decade ago, threatening water security as the region approaches “peak water” by mid-century, according to a study released this month.
