KATHMANDU: The government has unveiled a long-term roadmap aimed at increasing domestic electricity consumption and expanding power exports, identifying the energy sector as a key driver of Nepal’s economic transformation.
Releasing its 100-day progress report on Saturday, the government said it has prepared the Energy Consumption Growth and Export Strategy, 2083, in line with the governance reform agenda endorsed by the Cabinet on March 27, 2026 (Chaitra 13, 2082).
Under the government’s 100-point reform plan, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation was tasked with preparing an energy export strategy within one month and developing mechanisms to secure higher prices for electricity exported during peak demand periods.
Accordingly, Energy Minister Biraj Bhakta Shrestha formed a committee on April 23 under Joint Secretary Sandip Kumar Dev to prepare a comprehensive strategy for increasing domestic electricity use and expanding electricity exports.
The strategy identifies the energy sector as a key pillar of Nepal’s economic transformation. Its priorities include significantly increasing domestic electricity consumption by replacing liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) with electric cooking appliances, promoting electric vehicles in both the public and private sectors, and encouraging industries to replace fossil fuels with electricity.
The roadmap also proposes consumer-friendly electricity tariffs, modernization of the distribution system through smart grids, expansion of reservoir-based hydropower projects to strengthen energy security, and nationwide expansion of the national transmission network.
The government aims to increase per capita electricity consumption from the current 450 kilowatt-hours (kWh) to 1,500 kWh by 2035. It also plans to raise Nepal’s total installed electricity generation capacity from the current 4,242 megawatts to 28,500 megawatts by 2035, while increasing domestic demand to around 13,500 megawatts.
To support higher electricity use, the strategy calls for wider adoption of electric cooking stoves through policy incentives and accelerated construction of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
The government also plans to develop the capacity to export up to 15,000 megawatts of electricity to India and Bangladesh, strengthening Nepal’s presence in bilateral and regional energy markets.
According to the Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal currently exports 19,623 megawatt-hours of electricity to India and Bangladesh.
The Ministry of Energy said the strategy is intended to establish Nepal as a reliable supplier of clean energy in the region.
The government also reported that an additional 138 megawatts of electricity generation capacity has been added during its first 100 days in office, while 472 gigawatt-hours of electricity have been exported.
In the irrigation and river management sector, irrigation facilities have been expanded to an additional 2,948 hectares of farmland, while 37.5 kilometres of embankments have been constructed, reclaiming 149 hectares of land.
To promote clean energy in rural areas, the government said 28,000 electric cooking stoves and rooftop solar systems with a combined capacity of 13,442 kilowatts have been installed.
The report further states that implementation of major infrastructure projects, including the Babai and Sunkoshi-Marin projects, has been accelerated under the National Structured Project Pipeline framework, alongside measures to strengthen investment promotion and expand one-stop service delivery.
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