Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has received approval from India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA) to renew its permission to export 283 megawatts of electricity to India.

The renewed approval allows Nepal to continue exporting electricity from four hydropower projects through India’s energy exchange market, IEX, as well as under existing bilateral agreements with the Indian states of Haryana and Bihar.

According to NEA, the electricity produced domestically and surplus to national demand is being sold competitively in the day-ahead and real-time markets of IEX and through mid-term bilateral agreements with Indian buyers. Nepal also exports electricity to Bangladesh using India’s transmission infrastructure.

The IEX export approval for 103 MW from four projects had recently expired. The renewal, effective from last Tuesday, extends export permission for about one year. Similarly, the bilateral export approval for around 180 MW to Haryana is valid until Thursday (today).

Every year, NEA exports electricity to Haryana during the October season. This year, NEA had also requested IEX sales approval for the same projects exporting power to Haryana, which the CEA has now approved. Starting Friday, electricity from the four projects will be continuously sold in the IEX market.

During his visit to New Delhi to attend the 8th Assembly of the International Solar Alliance, Nepal’s Minister for Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, Kulman Ghising, urged India’s Minister of Power, Manohar Lal Khattar, to simplify the electricity export approval process.

Minister Ghising emphasized that Nepal is currently in its peak production season and requested swift approval of the export renewal proposal.