KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 3

The long-awaited tripartite power trade agreement was signed on Thursday in Kathmandu, paving the way for Nepal to export hydroelectricity to Bangladesh. Under the agreement, Nepal will export 40 megawatts of power to Bangladesh.

Kulman Ghising, Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Mohammad Rezaul Karim, Chairperson of Bangladesh Power Development Board, and Renu Narang, Chief Executive Officer of India's NVVN (the nodal agency), signed the agreement in Kathmandu today.

The signing took place in the presence of Nepal's Energy Minister Dipak Khadka and Bangladesh's Minister for Forest, Environment, Climate Change, and Water Resources Syeda Rizwana Hasan.

According to the agreement, the NEA will supply power to India's NVVN, which will then transmit the power to Bangladesh using Indian infrastructure. The electricity will be exported through the 400 kV trans-border transmission line between Nepal and India.

The NEA plans to export 25 megawatts from the Trishuli Hydropower Project and 22 megawatts from the Chilime Hydropower Project.

The Indian government has already approved the export of power from these two projects. The power export will take place for five months, from June 15 to November 15, during the monsoon season.

In total, 144,000 megawatt-hours of power will be exported over the five months. The NEA will sell the electricity at Rs 9.30 per unit.

Meanwhile, the secretary-level Joint Director Committee of Nepal and Bangladesh held a meeting on Wednesday. Additionally, an agreement to develop the Sunkoshi Hydropower Project-III in partnership with Nepal, Bangladesh, and India is expected to be finalized soon.

A joint venture company will be established between the NEA and the Bangladesh Power Development Board to develop the project.

A separate agreement for the development of the 680-megawatt Sunkoshi Reservoir-based Hydropower Project is also in progress.