India to supply Nepal with emergency electricity after floods damage hydropower network

India has approved expedited electricity exports to Nepal after severe floods damaged much of the country's hydropower infrastructure and triggered widespread power shortages. The arrangement will allow up to 654 megawatts of electricity to be transmitted for 18 hours a day until 31 December. Nepal, which had previously met almost all of its energy needs from hydropower, has been forced to rely on imports since the disaster.

Sponsored

India's Ministry of Power said the approval would help Nepal meet urgent power requirements during what it described as a difficult period. It also said the move would further strengthen long-standing energy cooperation between the two neighbours. The ministry added that the amount of power to be exported from January will be reviewed in December, indicating that the current arrangement may be adjusted depending on conditions in Nepal.

The flooding began on 26 August after a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border. According to the supplied report, the disaster killed more than 1,400 people in Nepal and Tibet, and at least 12 hydropower projects in Nepal were hit. The report also said at least 900 power station workers were among more than 5,500 people still missing in Nepal, underlining the scale of the disruption to the country's energy system and wider recovery effort.

The emergency supply matters because hydropower has been central to Nepal's electricity system and, before the floods, the country was close to self-sufficiency. The damage has reversed that position and left Nepal dependent on cross-border imports at a time when thousands of displaced people are still in aid centres. The situation also highlights the vulnerability of mountain infrastructure to extreme weather and glacial hazards, which are becoming a growing concern across the Himalayas.

Sponsored

The disaster has broader humanitarian and economic implications. The United Nations and its partners are appealing for nearly $50m to support survivors, while Nepali officials say at least $5bn is needed for initial rebuilding. The report said the event has intensified debate over climate change impacts on poorer countries that have contributed little to global emissions.

It also noted that glacier melt in the Himalayas is accelerating, raising concerns about future water security in the region. What remains unclear is how quickly Nepal's damaged hydropower projects can be repaired and whether electricity imports will need to continue beyond the end of the year. The December review will be an important marker for the next phase of the response.

For now, the focus is on stabilising supply, supporting displaced communities and assessing the longer-term damage to Nepal's energy infrastructure.

#Nepal #India #electricityimports #hydropower #floods

Sponsored