A day after Nepal’s Energy Minister confirmed the return of power cuts, the government has formally requested India to supply 230 MW of electricity during evening hours.
The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, conveyed the request to the Indian Embassy, seeking additional power from 6 pm to 10 pm to ease industrial load-shedding.
The request follows Energy Minister Deepak Khadka’s March 19 announcement in the National Assembly, where he acknowledged Nepal’s inability to avert evening power cuts due to supply shortages. Khadka stated that Nepal is currently importing 830 MW from India, with domestic production at around 1,000 MW—insufficient to meet rising demand.
Despite previous reliance on Indian imports, Khadka dismissed the notion that Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Managing Director Kulman Ghising was solely responsible for ending load-shedding. Instead, he credited imports and private sector investments, stating, “The illusion of an end to load-shedding was due to electricity imports and private sector involvement. Kulman Ghising is not the hero of a brighter Nepal.”
Nepal’s industrial sector currently faces up to 12 hours of daily power cuts, as India restricts electricity exports to Nepal between 6 am and 6 pm. With hydropower generation dropping during the dry season, evening imports from India have become crucial.
Foreign Minister Dr. Arzu Rana has urged Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to ease the evening supply, and the Indian Embassy is coordinating with New Delhi on the matter. Meanwhile, NEA is working to procure electricity from India’s exchange market, though imports remain limited to ‘solar hours.’
If India agrees to supply 230 MW in the evening, it will provide much-needed relief to Nepal’s industrial sector, according to the Energy Ministry.
