POKHARA: Nepal and India have reached a seven-point agreement aimed at further strengthening bilateral energy cooperation, including electricity exchange and cross-border transmission network expansion.
The agreement was finalized during the 17th meeting of the Joint Technical Team on Nepal-India Energy Cooperation, held in Pokhara on November 3 and 4. The meeting was co-chaired by Sandeep Kumar Dev, Joint Secretary at Nepal’s Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, and Bhagwan Sahay Bhairava, Chief Engineer at India’s Central Electricity Authority.
According to the Ministry, the two sides held detailed discussions on electricity exchange, transmission system reinforcement, and construction of new cross-border transmission lines before settling on seven key points of agreement.
Key Agreements
The two sides presented their respective Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) for the Chameliya–Jauljibi 220 kV transmission line. A joint DPR will be completed by November 2025, with the project targeted for completion by December 2027.
The meeting decided to operate the new Butwal–Gorakhpur 400 kV line temporarily at 220 kV and to hold another round of talks with Uttar Pradesh Transmission Company within 15 days to finalize the power exchange capacity.
After reassessing the capacity of the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur and Dhalkebar–Sitamadhi transmission lines, it was determined that Nepal can export up to 1,500 MW and import up to 1,400 MW of electricity through these connections.
Nepal will provide the required technical details within a month to prepare the DPR for the Nijgadh–Motihari 400 kV line, which will be developed jointly.
The two sides also agreed to jointly determine the termination point—either Lamahi or Kohalpur—on the Nepali side for the proposed Lamahi–Lucknow 400 kV line before preparing the DPR.
Preparations will move forward to use High-Temperature Low-Sag (HTLS) technology in the reconstruction of the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur 400 kV line to enhance its performance under high-temperature conditions.
Similarly, both sides agreed to conduct a joint study on replacing conductors of the Raxaul–Parwanipur and Ramnagar–Gandak 132 kV lines with HTLS conductors to increase their transmission capacity.
Both delegations reiterated their commitment to continue collaboration in energy network strengthening and expanding electricity trade between Nepal and India.
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