Nepal with high hydropower potential and its neighbor India with high power demand have agreed to significantly boost up trans-border power transmission line to conduit the excess power from new hydro projects in West Nepal to India. A new World Bank loan sanctioned recently will facilitate early completion of the capacity augmentation project.
The planned immediate capacity augmentation is for at least 1000MW. In addition to the long planned Butwal in West Nepal to Gorakhpur in India line, There are simultaneous plans to construct three other cross-border transmission lines from Butwal-Gorakhpur, Duhabi-Purniya, Anarmani-Siliguri or Dhalkebar to Mujaffarpur
After having the issue discussed with Indian authority through Nepal's External Affairs Ministry, both the countries have come to a final agreement on the matter in meeting of Energy Group under the South Asian Sub-Regional Cooperation.
With a recently granted World Bank loan of USD 37 million, Nepal and India will have at least two double circuit transmission corridors between Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur and Hetuda-Dhalkebar-Duhabi. These will be of 90 and 40 km length respectively.
According to Nepal Minister for Science, Technology and Environment Mr. U. Jha, this augmentation of power import is must for Nepal especially in dry season. Hydropower rich, Nepal gets highly power starved during dry winter season due to low water flow through its rivers. Then it needs to import around 150MW power to meet even basic minimum need. But the present cross border transmission infrastructure gets only around 50MW to Nepal.
On the other side, more than five big hydropower projects with a collective capacity of around 20,000 MW are under feasibility study in West Nepal. Nepal cannot consume the output of those. If exported, the surplus power, generated out of these projects with renewable source to India, can get the financially crunched Nepal into a more comfortable situation.
Across the border, "Demand in Indian national grid is increasing rapidly. Rate of this demand growth in Eastern India is high. Proper power evacuation from Nepal can be of great help for India to meet up this extra demand," said Power Grid Corporation Limited officials.
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