KATHMANDU — Recent floodwaters and landslides in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli basins have knocked at least 640 megawatt (MW) of electricity generation capacity out of Nepal’s national grid, significantly increasing the country’s dependence on power imported from India for the upcoming winter.
The natural disasters affected a total of 1,292 MW of hydropower capacity nationwide, inflicting an estimated NPR 74 billion in physical damage on infrastructure owned by the state-run Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and private developers.
Despite severe structural damage to powerhouses, intakes, dams, and regional transmission corridors, the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation assures the public that there will be no nationwide load-shedding during the upcoming Dashain and Tihar festivals.
Ministry Co-Spokesperson Shaligram Bhandari stated that the government’s immediate focus is managing regional load distribution rather than addressing a total supply deficit. Authorities plan to utilize remaining operational plants, bypass damaged transmission lines, and import power from India via cross-border interconnectors.
“It will not be completely smooth; the situation will be somewhat critical, but there will likely be no load-shedding,” Bhandari said.
NEA Spokesperson Rajan Dhakal echoed this outlook, noting that power demand typically drops substantially during Dashain and Tihar as major industrial units and commercial factories shut down for the holidays.
While less-damaged plants expect to re-establish connections within days or weeks, larger facilities in the Bhotekoshi and Trishuli basins face extensive reconstructive engineering. In several instances, dams and intakes will need to be relocated upstream or downstream depending on ground stability.
“The total capacity of some facilities may increase or decrease following redesigns, but the projects can and will be rebuilt,” Bhandari added.
Reconstruction timelines will vary drastically based on structural severity, according to Mohan Kumar Dangi, President of the Independent Power Producers’ Association, Nepal (IPPAN).
“Less-damaged projects could resume operations within a few months, while projects with major structural damage could take two to three years,” Dangi said.
IPPAN estimates that approximately 155 MW of the 431 MW currently offline in the Bhotekoshi region can be restored to the grid within two to four months.
Funding for private sector reconstruction relies heavily on insurance settlements. IPPAN confirmed that initial claims filed by private developers have reached between NPR 21 billion and NPR 22 billion. Final payout amounts will be finalized once insurance surveyors complete on-site structural assessments.
