Nepal Achieves Record Energy Export Revenue in FY 2082/83

Kathmandu. The cross-border electricity import-export data published by the Nepal Electricity Authority for the fiscal year 2081/082 and the review year 2082/083 shows that Nepal's energy sector has set a new record.

In the review year 2082/083, Nepal earned a total of NPR 29.32 billion from electricity exports to India and Bangladesh, which is 67.96 percent more than the previous fiscal year.

According to the authority's data, in the previous fiscal year 2081/082, NPR 17.45 billion was earned by exporting 2.38 billion units (kWh) of electricity. However, in the review year 2082/083, the export volume increased by 62.89 percent to 3.87 billion units. This historic income was achieved by selling electricity at an average rate of NPR 7.56 per unit through the Indian open market (IEX-DAM, IEX-RTM, NVVN) and trilateral trade with Bangladesh.

While export income saw an unprecedented increase, electricity imports from external sources significantly decreased in the review year. In the previous fiscal year 2081/082, NPR 12.92 billion was spent on importing 1.68 billion units of electricity. However, in the review year 2082/083, the import volume decreased by 31.57 percent to 1.14 billion units. With the decrease in import volume, the total import expenditure in the review year also decreased to NPR 10.55 billion, which is 18.29 percent less than the previous year.

In the review year 2082/083, after deducting NPR 10.55 billion in total import expenditure from NPR 29.32 billion in export income, Nepal has achieved a total net trade surplus of NPR 18.76 billion from electricity trade alone. In the previous fiscal year 2081/082, this net surplus was only NPR 4.53 billion, and in the review year, this surplus has increased by 313 percent (more than approximately four times).

The increase in hydropower production within the country, the expansion of cross-border transmission lines, and effective energy management confirm that Nepal has established itself as a strong, self-reliant, and profitable energy exporting nation in the South Asian region.