Hydel plant in Nepal feeding power to India among several units hit by flash floods

Hydel plant in Nepal feeding power to India among a number of units hit by flash floods According to data from Grid India, India imported 963.4 MW from Nepal at the day's peak on August 26 when the flash flood struck.

Key points

• 3 min read New Delhi Aug 28, 2026 04: 22 AM IST.
• Nepal army personnel against the backdrop of a rescue and search operation after flash floods, at the Army Training Centre in Nuwakot, Nepal, Thursday, Aug.
• Individuals try to enter a safer place after flash floods, at the Devighat in Bidur, Nuwakot, Nepal, Thursday, Aug.
• Nepal Flash Flood Highlights: 290 Indians still missing, China raises fresh alarm.
• Hydropower accounts for the bulk of Nepal's total installed electricity generation capacity of around 4, 300 MW.

In practice, a policeman with a sniffer dog looks at the damage in the aftermath of flash floods in Devighat in the Nuwakot district in Nepal. (AP Photo).

In practice, a hydropower plant that supplies electricity to India was among the power plants hit by Wednesday's flash flood in Nepal. Authorities were assessing the extent of damage to scores of power plants which cater to the bulk of Nepal's electricity needs.

In practice, a senior Indian administration official informed The Indian Express Thursday that Nepal slashed its power supply to India by half, from around 800 megawatts (MW) to at least 400 MW. The 14-MW Devighat hydropower plant that supplies power to India was among the plants affected by the floods, the official remarked. India imports electricity from multiple hydroelectric power plants in Nepal.

Nepal races against time to look for survivors, 290 Indians still missing.

Two other hydroelectric plants, Chilime and Trisuli. It supply electricity to Bangladesh, have additionally been affected.

Nepal's Energy Ministry, in an official note, remarked that around 13 hydroelectric power plants and a solar plant were affected due to the floods.

Nepal Flash Floods: 3 bodies wash up in UP as border districts brace for rising rivers.

For context, the floods, triggered by a collapsing glacier in the Himalayan region between Nepal and Tibet, affected almost 359 MW of capacity, mostly hydro power, the Energy Ministry's statement stated.

Individuals try to enter a safer place after flash floods, at the Devighat in Bidur, Nuwakot, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. The death toll from the devastating flash floods surged to 359 on Thursday. (PTI Photo) Queries sent to the Ministry of Power and Grid India did not elicit a response.

According to the Nepal administration, operational power plants with total capacity of 236 MW and three under-construction major hydropower projects with total capacity of 342.42 MW have been affected in Rasuwa district. Express View on Nepal floods: Himalaya needs shared early-warning system.

In practice, the affected projects include Upper Trishuli-1 (216 MW), Rasuwagadhi (111 MW), Rasuwa Bhotekoshi (120 MW), Sanjen Khola (78 MW), Upper Mailung A (6.42 MW), Mailung Khola (5 MW), Laidang Khola (20 MW), and Chilime (22 MW).

In Nuwakot district, four operational power plants with a total capacity of 123 MW and two under-construction power projects with a total capacity of 52.6 MW have been affected.

Nepal army personnel against the backdrop of a rescue and search operation after flash floods, at the Army Training Centre in Nuwakot, Nepal, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026. The death toll from the devastating flash floods surged to 359 on Thursday. (PTI Photo) These projects include the Trishuli Hydropower Project (24 MW), Devighat Hydropower Project (14.1 MW), Upper Trishuli-3A (60 MW), Upper Trishuli-3B (37 MW), Middle Trishuli Ganga (15.6 MW), and a 25 MW capacity solar project.

Electricity trade between Nepal and India is seasonal, with Nepal exporting surplus power to India during the monsoon and importing electricity during the dry winter months when domestic hydropower generation declines.

Taken together, the developments around hydel plant in Nepal feeding power to India among several units hit point to a situation that is still moving, and the coming days should bring more clarity.