Biratnagar, October 1:

Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) purchased power worth Rs 1.23 billion for eastern region of Nepal from India last fiscal year.

This was a purchase of Rs 200 million more than that in the fiscal year 2062/63, NEA eastern regional office assistant manager, Tank Prasad Shrestha, said adding that increasing power demand led to the increase in power purchase.

NEA buys power from Barauni and Kataiya of India and is linked to 132 KV line in Duhabi and Bhantabari of Sunsari and 33 KV transmission grid in Rajbiraj of Saptari, the NEA source said. NEA pays INR 3.78 for each unit of electricity purchased from India, which is supplied to Nepal through Duhabi and Bhantabari and the at the cost of INR 2.92 for each unit of power supplied through Rajbiraj, the NEA source said.

Meanwhile, the amount of power Nepal sells to India through the Bhadrapur grid of Jhapa and Rani grid of Biratnagar has decreased.