Nepal Loses 748MW as Floods Cripple 13 Power Plants
Nepal's energy sector is now facing its own crisis on top of the flood disaster itself, with more than a fifth of the country's electricity capacity suddenly wiped off the grid.
The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) has confirmed that the flooding along the Trishuli and Bhote Koshi river basins has knocked out 13 hydropower projects entirely, cutting a combined 748 megawatts of generation capacity. That figure represents more than 20 percent of Nepal's total national electricity output, and officials warn it could lead to widespread power cuts, disruptions to industry, and instability across the wider grid in the days ahead.
Which Power Plants Have Been Hit
The damage is spread across a mix of major state and privately run stations, several of which sit directly along the path the floodwaters took as they surged downstream. The scale of destruction ranges from complete shutdowns to serious structural damage that could take considerable time to repair.
| Power Plant | Capacity | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Upper Trishuli-1 | 216 MW | Under-construction project in Rasuwa; suffered major structural damage |
| Trishuli-3B | 37 MW | Heavily flooded; all operations halted |
| Rasuwagadhi | 111 MW | Submerged or severely compromised near the landslide site |
| Sanjen & Upper Sanjen (combined) | 57 MW | Both projects fully out of operation |
| Trishuli & Devighat plants | — | Shut down in Nuwakot due to silt, debris, and high water levels |
Among these, the Upper Trishuli-1 project stands out both for its size and its stage of development, as it was still under construction in Rasuwa when the flood struck, raising questions about how much the disaster will set back its eventual completion.
Strain on the National Grid
With 748 megawatts suddenly removed from the system, the NEA says it is now struggling to keep voltage levels stable across the network. As a result, emergency power shedding is expected in major urban centers, including the Kathmandu Valley, as the utility works to balance what supply remains.
Compounding the problem, multiple high-voltage transmission towers along the Rasuwa-Nuwakot corridor have reportedly been bent or completely swept away by landslides triggered during the flooding. This matters because even if some of the smaller, less-damaged plants are able to resume generation relatively quickly, there is currently no functioning pathway to carry that power back into the national grid.
Emergency Power Imports From India
Facing the prospect of prolonged shortages, the NEA is reportedly holding emergency discussions to import additional electricity from India through existing cross-border transmission lines. The goal is to secure enough supply to keep essential services running, particularly hospitals, communication networks, and other critical infrastructure that cannot afford extended outages.
While cross-border power sharing has helped Nepal manage supply gaps in the past, the scale of this shortfall means any imported electricity is likely to serve as a stopgap rather than a full replacement for the capacity lost.
A Long Road to Grid Recovery
Repairing this kind of damage is unlikely to happen quickly. Structural repairs to submerged plants, debris removal from silted intake systems, and the rebuilding of destroyed transmission towers are all labor-intensive processes, and some of the affected sites may require extensive engineering assessments before any repair work can even begin.
In the meantime, ordinary Nepalis and businesses across the country should be prepared for the possibility of scheduled outages, especially in the Kathmandu Valley, until the NEA can stabilize the grid through a combination of repairs and imported power.
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