India to supply Nepal electricity after floods wrecked hydropower projects

India to provide Nepal with 654 megawatts of electricity daily to meet urgent needs after devastating glacial floods.

A damaged tunnel at Nepal's Trishuli Hydropower Plant on the banks of the Trishuli River after landslides caused massive infrastructural damage, August 30, 2026 [Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images]

India has approved the expedited export of electricity to neighbouring Nepal to help it overcome shortages caused by extensive damage to hydropower infrastructure from devastating floods last month.

In a statement on Monday, India’s Ministry of Power said up to 654 megawatts of electricity would be transmitted for 18 hours per day until December 31.

“The approval will help Nepal meet its power requirements during this difficult period and further strengthen the close and longstanding energy cooperation between India and Nepal,” it said.

It added that in December it would also review the amount of power to be exported from January.

The flooding , triggered on August 26 by a glacial mountain collapse on the China-Nepal border, killed more than 1,400 people in Nepal and Tibet.

At least 12 hydropower projects in Nepal were hit, with at least 900 power station workers among the more than 5,500 people still missing in the country.

Almost 100 percent of the country’s energy needs were met by hydropower before the floods hit. Since then, Nepal has been forced to import electricity after years of exporting surplus energy to India.

People cross a river via a zip line in the aftermath of flash floods at Trishuli in Nepal’s Nuwakot district on September 11, 2026 [Prakash Mathema/AFP]

Thousands of displaced people are sheltering in aid centres, with little hope of returning home soon. The United Nations and its partners are appealing for nearly $50m to help survivors.

Nepali officials say at least $5bn is needed for initial rebuilding, adding that the disaster shows how climate change has hit poor countries that did little to cause it.

The ‌Himalayas, where Nepal is nestled, are approaching a tipping point as glaciers melt ⁠faster than a decade ⁠ago, threatening water security as the region approaches “peak water” by mid-century, according to a study released this month.

印度将每天向尼泊尔提供 654 兆瓦电力，以满足其在毁灭性冰川洪水后的紧急需求。

2026年8月30日，尼泊尔特里苏里河畔的特里苏里水电站发生山体滑坡，造成基础设施严重破坏，一条隧道受损。[Ritesh Shukla/Getty Images]

印度已批准加快向邻国尼泊尔出口电力，以帮助其克服上个月毁灭性洪水对水电基础设施造成的广泛破坏而导致的电力短缺。

印度电力部周一发表声明称，将每天输送高达 654 兆瓦的电力，持续 18 小时，直至 12 月 31 日。

声明称：“这项批准将有助于尼泊尔在这一困难时期满足其电力需求，并进一步加强印度和尼泊尔之间密切而长期的能源合作。”

该公司还表示，12 月份还将审查从 1 月份开始的电力出口量。

8月26日，中尼边境冰川山体滑坡引发洪水，造成尼泊尔和西藏1400多人死亡。

尼泊尔至少有 12 个水电项目遭到袭击，该国仍有超过 5500 人失踪，其中至少有 900 名电站工人。

洪水来临前，尼泊尔几乎100%的能源需求都依靠水力发电满足。此后，尼泊尔被迫进口电力，此前多年，该国一直向印度出口过剩电力。

2026年9月11日，尼泊尔努瓦科特地区特里苏里发生山洪后，人们通过滑索过河。[Prakash Mathema/AFP]

数千名流离失所者目前栖身于援助中心，短期内返回家园的希望渺茫。联合国及其合作伙伴呼吁筹集近5000万美元，以帮助幸存者。

尼泊尔官员表示，重建初期至少需要 50 亿美元，并补充说，这场灾难表明气候变化对造成气候变化几乎没有责任的贫困国家造成了沉重打击。

根据本月发布的一项研究，尼泊尔所在的喜马拉雅山脉正接近一个临界点，冰川融化的速度比十年前更快，随着该地区在本世纪中叶接近“水资源峰值”，水资源安全受到威胁。