Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said that New Delhi has finalized a long-term power trade agreement with Nepal, under which it will import 10,000 Megawatts (MW) of electricity from the power-surplus Himalayan nation over the next 10 years.
Prachanda is on a four-day official visit to India.
During talks between Prime Minister Modi and Nepalese PM Pushpa Kumar Dahal Prachanda, currently on a four-day India visit, New Delhi also signed agreements to fund two hydroelectric power projects in the Himalayan country -- Pukhot-Karnali Hydropower Project and the Lower Arun hydropower project.
“The agreements on Pukhot-Karnali and Lower Arun Hydroelectric projects have further strengthened cooperation in the power sector,” Modi said.
The Indian PM noted that his country has increased its power purchase from Nepal to 450 MW in recent years.
Modi and Prachanda presided over the ground-breaking ceremony of the Gorakhpur-Bhutwal transmission line to bolster power cooperation between the two nations.
Once completed, this would be the second high-capacity power transmission line between the two neighbors.
New Delhi has also agreed to fund the construction of three new “power corridors” in Nepal under a $680 million line of credit (LOC).
Modi called for building more “facilities” to expand Nepalese electricity exports to India.
Addressing a press briefing after the leader talks, Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said that “tangible” progress has also been made on developing the Pancheshwar Multipurpose Project (PMP) on the Mahakali river at the India-Nepal border.
Kwatra also revealed that India has agreed to act as a transit hub to export Nepalese electricity to Bangladesh.
He called India-Nepal power cooperation as the “signature success” of bilateral relations.
Establishing ‘New Rail Links’ Between India and Nepal
Prime Minister Modi said that the two countries have decided to “increase physical connectivity by establishing new rail links”.
The two leaders presided over the maiden run of an Indian railway cargo train from India to Nepal.
Further, New Delhi has also handed over the “final location survey report” of the Raxaul-Kathmandu railway link to Kathmandu.
Modi said that both countries also signed a new transit agreement, which would allow Nepalese people to access Indian inland waterways.
“It also provides for new rail routes for the people of Nepal as well as the facility of inland waterways of India,” the Indian PM said.
Modi announced that India would also train Nepalese railway workers at Indian institutes.
New Delhi has also decided to fund the construction of two more bridges to “boost connectivity” with Nepal’s far-western region, the Indian PM said.
The two countries have also inaugurated two new Integrated Check Posts (ICPs) at Nepalgunj (Nepal) and Rupaidiha (India) to bolster trade and people-to-people linkages between the nations.
The two countries signed a pact on cross-border digital payment in a bid to achieve “seamless financial connectivity”.
New Petroleum Pipeline
Modi said that India would also build a new petroleum pipeline between the two countries from Siliguri to eastern Nepal.
It said that a previous pipeline from Motihari in India’s Bihar state would be further extended to other parts of Nepal.
New Delhi will also build two storage terminals in Nepalese cities of Chitwan and Jhapa.