KATHMANDU, Jan 4: Nepal and India have inked a long-term agreement on electricity trade today. Secretaries of both countries signed the document in the presence of Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Shakti Bahadur Basnet.
With the signing of the agreement, the bilateral understanding to export 10,000 megawatts of electricity from Nepal to India in the next ten years has been materialized. Secretary at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Gopal Sigdel and India's Energy Secretary Pankaj Agrawal signed the agreement paper on behalf of their respective countries.
The bilateral understanding on electricity export was reached during Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal's visit to India from 31 May to 3 June 2023. During the visit, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi had expressed India's commitment to long-term electricity purchase from Nepal, and both nations reached a consensus on this matter.
The Federal Council of Ministers of India has already endorsed the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in this regard. The agreement was signed during the two-day visit of India's External Affairs Minister Dr Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, which commenced today.
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Following this agreement, various government and private entities in India will engage in power trade with Nepal through short-term, medium-term, and long-term contracts. Private sectors in Nepal can also participate in the import and export of electricity after completing the necessary procedures.
In a press conference organized in the course of Prime Minister Dahal's visit to India, the prime ministers of both countries had commented that the issue of power export was historic and significant. The government has already prepared an energy development strategy with an objective of producing 28,000 MW electricity in the next 12 years.
Of the 28,000 MW power, a target has been set to export 15,000 MW of electricity to different countries including India.
The private sector welcomed the agreement, saying the agreement has opened the doors for the development of Nepal's energy sector. The government has set a target of bringing quality change to the development of the energy sector by taking the private sector together.
Earlier, a delegation led by Indian Energy Secretary Agrawal paid a courtesy call on Energy Minister Basnet.
On the occasion, expressing happiness over the beginning of meaningful cooperation in the energy sector between the two countries, Energy Minister Basnet pointed out the need for taking it to further conclusion.
He shared that the agreement regarding exporting 10,000 MW of electricity in the next 10 years would take the relations between the two countries to a new height.
The Energy Minister urged the Indian officials to accelerate other projects and complete them within the stipulated time, expecting Indian investment in large projects.
