Flooding in Rasuwa halts Nepal’s power exports to Bangladesh and cuts supplies to India

Nepal has stopped sending electricity to Bangladesh and reduced exports to India after devastating floods along the Bhotekoshi River damaged hydropower projects in Rasuwa and Nuwakot.

The Nepal Electricity Authority said power from the Chilime and Trishuli projects can no longer be supplied to Bangladesh. Nepal had been exporting 40 megawatts from the two facilities under an electricity agreement. Although Nepal had approval to export about 1,200 megawatts to India and Bangladesh combined, the available volume has fallen sharply after the floods damaged generation and transmission infrastructure.

The floods affected 12 hydropower projects operated by the authority and private developers. Both operating plants and projects still under construction suffered damage. Export volumes could face further pressure until the affected facilities resume generation.

The disaster has also made rescue work more difficult. At the Langtang Hydropower Project, a 25-member search team, including foreign technicians, entered a tunnel to look for missing people. The team reached about 150 meters inside and opened small gaps at two points to assess whether people might be trapped.

Joint teams are also searching at the Chilime project and at Upper Trishuli-3A. At Upper Trishuli-3A, 93 rescuers used five excavators to clear mud, soil and other obstructions blocking the tunnel outlet. After the opening became too narrow, workers used blasting to widen the crown area so rescuers could enter.

At Upper Trishuli-3B, Nepal Army personnel, civilian staff and project officials are clearing roads and identifying the project office and residential areas. Landslides and mud have blocked access, requiring excavators and bulldozers to remove soil and rebuild roads.