Bangladesh will import an additional 20 MW of clean hydropower from Nepal under a new deal agreed in Dhaka, raising total imports to 60 MW. Officials say the expanded supply, pending Indian approval, will begin in June 2026.
Bangladesh will increase its imports of Nepali hydropower to 60 megawatts under a new agreement reached in Dhaka on Thursday, adding 20 MW of what experts describe as clean, low-carbon energy to its power mix. Officials and climate campaigners say the step strengthens regional cooperation on clean energy.
Bangladesh and Nepal announced the decision at the 7th meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on energy cooperation, co-chaired by Nepal’s Energy Secretary Chiranjeevi Chataut and Bangladesh’s Power Secretary Farzana Momtaz. The move follows recommendations from a joint task force that met on November 20.
Nepal’s Energy Ministry said Kathmandu will proceed once it secures fresh export clearance. “Bangladesh will import an additional 20 megawatts of electricity, and Nepal will proceed with the process by obtaining the necessary approvals,” the ministry said. Tariffs will remain unchanged.
The extra supply is expected to begin in the next export window starting June 15, 2026. Because the power transits India, Nepal will need new approval from India’s Central Electricity Authority (CEA).
Cross-border power trade between the two countries accelerated after a 2018 MoU created the JSC and a Joint Working Group. A tripartite power sales agreement between Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam—signed in Kathmandu last year—allows exports during the monsoon months from June 15 to November 15.
Approval delays last year allowed exports for just 12 hours on November 15, the final day of the allowable window, before resuming in June 2025.
India has already cleared 40 MW—18.60 MW from Trishuli and 21.40 MW from Chilime—for export to Bangladesh until 2029. NEA sells the electricity at 6.40 US cents per unit at India’s Muzaffarpur substation, absorbing technical losses up to delivery, while Bangladesh covers downstream losses and trading charges.
Electricity now flows via the Dhalkebar–Muzaffarpur 400 kV line and India’s Berhampur–Bheramara corridor. Both countries will study additional Indian routes leading to Barapukuria, Panchagarh/Thakurgaon, Bheramara and Comilla.
The JSC also agreed to jointly pursue India’s consent for a trilateral energy cooperation MoU.
In another outcome, the two sides approved forming an expert committee to assess the proposed 683 MW Sunkoshi III hydropower project and fast-track joint-venture investment. The US$1.45 billion multipurpose project—first identified in a 1985 JICA study—has completed feasibility and environmental assessments but will need a new survey licence for a joint-venture company. Developers from Bangladesh’s Summit Group and United Group are expected to join Nepali and Indian partners.
Nepal and Bangladesh will also draft a new MoU on renewable-energy and energy-efficiency cooperation. Bangladesh will provide Nepal with technical support on energy testing, electric-vehicle charging and rooftop solar. A capacity-building exchange will begin with training for Bangladeshi officials in Kathmandu, followed by a programme in Bangladesh for Nepali officials.
Nepal aims to generate 28,500 MW and export up to 15,000 MW by 2035. At the end of FY 2024–25, its installed capacity reached 3,591 MW with a system peak of 2,901 MW. NEA remained a net exporter that year, selling 699 GWh of surplus electricity worth Rs4.5 billion.
