Kathmandu, March 13 (IANS) The door has opened for Nepal to import up to 350 MW of electricity from neighbouring Indian states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, after a new deal was reached between officials of the two countries during a two-day meeting of a bilateral mechanism which concluded in the western Pokhara city of Nepal on Friday.

Although Nepal exports electricity to India during the wet season, the Himalayan country needs to buy power from its southern neighbour in winter, when most of its run-of-the-river hydropower projects generate far less electricity than their installed capacity.

During a meeting of the Power Exchange Committee (PEC) — a bilateral mechanism consisting of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) — the two sides agreed to increase the power purchase rate by 1.5 per cent, paving the way for Nepal to continue importing electricity from the three Indian states during the winter.

As per the agreement, the purchase rate for electricity delivered through the 132 kV transmission line has been set at NPR 8.22 per unit. Likewise, the rate for electricity delivered through the 33 kV level has been fixed at NPR 8.91 per unit, while electricity purchased through the 11 kV line has been set at NPR 9.55 per unit, the NEA said in a statement on Friday. The rate is applicable for a year.

Following the latest agreement, the NEA expects electricity supply from India to remain secure during the dry months of March and April, when power demand typically rises in Nepal.

NEA Managing Director Hitendra Dev Shakya led the Nepali delegation, while Vijay Kumar Singh, board member (Power System) of India’s Central Electricity Authority, led the Indian side.

Shakya told IANS that although the two sides agreed to raise the purchase rate, it will apply only when Nepal buys electricity through this mechanism.

“As long as prices are lower in the electricity exchange market, Nepal has been purchasing power from the power exchange market,” he said. “In case the purchase rate becomes higher and electricity is not adequately available in India’s power exchange market, Nepal can purchase up to 350 MW through the Power Exchange Committee mechanism.”

According to the NEA, during the two-day negotiations, the Indian side had initially insisted on increasing the electricity purchase rate by 5.5 per cent, citing higher domestic production costs in India. However, the Nepali side argued for a lower rate, pointing to a decline in electricity prices in India’s open power market.

At present, the NEA imports about 12,000–14,000 megawatt-hours of electricity daily from India, and the volume is expected to increase in the coming days as demand rises during the dry season.

The NEA also noted that the ongoing war involving Israel, Iran and parts of West Asia has put pressure on regional energy markets, which could affect electricity supply.

“The timely agreement with the Indian side is therefore expected to significantly help in managing power supply,” the NEA said.

–IANS

scor/as