Nepal, which has abundant hydropower resources in the the Himalayas, is accelerating the transformation of natural resources into economic and diplomatic chips. The General Manager of Nepal's National Electricity Authority, Hitendra Dev Shakya, recently stated that the country plans to increase its hydropower exports to India by four times to accurately fill India's continuously expanding power gap. This measure not only marks the fast lane of Nepal's hydropower development, but also deeply binds it to the South Asian regional energy security network.

1.1 gigawatt power rush peak

India is facing severe challenges in electricity supply and demand. As the summer heat season approaches, the surge in air conditioning load has led to a continuous increase in electricity shortage.

Nepal's recent move can be described as a timely assistance, with plans to increase its power supply to India to 1.1 gigawatts before the arrival of this summer. This number is not arbitrarily set, but is precisely calculated based on the load model of the Indian power grid, aiming to cover its peak demand in summer. For the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, which has long been plagued by power shortages, clean hydropower from Nepal will effectively alleviate the pressure of power outages and support industrial production and people's livelihood needs.

Aim for 2.5 gigawatts in two years

Nepal's ambitions are not limited to this. According to the plan, after the upgrading and renovation of cross-border transmission lines and domestic power grid infrastructure, the transmission capacity to India will jump to 2.5 gigawatts within about two years.

The achievement of this goal relies on hardcore infrastructure investment, including the construction of new high-voltage transmission corridors and the upgrading of substations. Nepal's hydropower potential is as high as 83000 megawatts, with a current development rate of less than 3%. The huge drop contains a massive amount of green electricity. By exporting electricity to India, Nepal can not only exchange much-needed foreign exchange reserves and improve its huge trade deficit with India, but also transform from a simple energy resource country to a regional power hub. Keywords: international news, Nepal's power plan, Southeast Asia

With the deepening of cross-border power grid interconnection, Nepal is transforming from India's energy backyard to a key power supply station. This energy artery construction involving billions of dollars in investment will reshape the energy geopolitical landscape of the South Asian subcontinent.Editor/Cheng Liting