Nepal has made headlines by exporting 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh and the government, along with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), is in full celebration mode. They’re calling it a milestone, a symbol of progress, and a proud moment for the country.
But behind the self-congratulatory press conferences and exaggerated profit figures lies a harsh truth:
Nepal’s electricity export isn’t a success story it’s a national failure disguised as one.
While NEA executives boast and politicians pat themselves on the back, millions of Nepali people remain in the dark literally and figuratively.
Power to Bangladesh — But Not to the Nepali People?
Nepal is selling electricity abroad while countless communities across the country still suffer from daily power cuts, voltage drops, and unreliable supply. Basic lighting, heating, and industry needs remain unmet, especially in rural areas.
How can a government claim victory when its own citizens still can’t rely on electricity?
Exporting power while failing to serve your own people isn’t strategy it’s abandonment.
The Route: A Foreign Dependency
The exported electricity flows from Dhalkebar Substation (Nepal) → Muzaffarpur (India) → Bheramara (Bangladesh) — a route that relies entirely on Indian infrastructure.
Who really controls Nepal’s electricity future — Kathmandu or New Delhi?
There is no alternative route. If India decides to pull the plug, Nepal’s “achievement” evaporates instantly. This is not sovereignty. This is submission.
NEA’s Fake Profits: A Lie Wrapped in Debt
The NEA claims it made a record NPR 46.47 billion profit. But scratch beneath the surface and a different story emerges:
NEA continues to borrow billions to pay contractors.
It is drowning in debt, not delivering returns.
Its financials are so murky that even Kulman Ghising’s successor launched a white paper to investigate them.
Are these profits — or propaganda?
If NEA is so profitable, why are taxpayers still subsidizing its failures? Why is it mortgaging the country’s future to make books look good on paper?
A Government Obsessed With Appearances
Rather than solving power shortages, expanding internal grids, or investing in energy independence, the government seems obsessed with headlines. Energy policy is no longer about the Nepali people it’s about foreign currency and political optics.
This is what happens when governance is driven by ego, not service.
Nepal’s power strategy is built on fragile diplomacy, foreign dependence, and a reckless rush to export. It’s not a roadmap it’s a ticking time bomb.
The Sacrificed: People and Rivers
Hydropower projects like Trishuli and Chilime fuel these exports. But behind these megawatts are:
Displaced families
Destroyed local ecosystems
Ignored indigenous rights
These people didn’t get electricity. They got evicted.
Has the government ever explained this cost to the nation?
A Deal Without Dignity
Nepal is selling power to Bangladesh at 6.4 cents/kWh for five years with no competitive bidding and zero transparency. In a booming global energy market, this price reeks of incompetence or corruption.
Is Nepal undercutting itself to keep India and Bangladesh happy?
Who negotiates these deals and who profits from them?
Follow the Money — Not the Headlines
All of this raises the only question that matters:
Who is benefiting from Nepal’s electricity export?
Because it’s not the people.
It’s NEA boardrooms. It’s government ministers. It’s foreign intermediaries.
The average Nepali person gets blackouts. Politicians get bonuses.
Nepal’s Electricity Export Isn’t Progress It’s Exploitation
This isn’t how a nation builds its future. This is how it sells it off.
The government of Nepal and NEA must be held accountable. For every blackout. For every displaced family. For every misleading statistic. For every rupee borrowed in the name of false profit.
Nepal’s rivers are not for sale. Nepal’s sovereignty is not a trade route. Nepal’s people are not a footnote.
Until the electricity export benefits the Nepali people first, this program is not a victory it’s a betrayal.
Raise your voice. Demand better.
