Power shortage used to be a headache for Nepalese. 10 years ago, the local power was cut off every day 14 hours. With the arrival of enterprises from China, ShangTamasi Hydropower Station, known as the "Three Gorges of Nepal", was successfully completed. It not only successfully solved the local power shortage problem, but also temporarily made Nepal a country with "excess" power.
202 1, 1 1, Nepal changed its long-term dependence on India to import electricity and began to sell hydropower to India. However, in order to restrict the investment of Pakistani enterprises in Nepal, Modi government requires Nepal to export only two hydropower stations invested by India, and all hydropower projects invested by China and China cannot be sold to India.
India is currently facing a power shortage. More than 70% of the electricity in this South Asian country depends on thermal power generation. With the soaring global coal price, Indian coal imports have fallen to the lowest point in two years, and more than half of China 135 coal-fired power plants are struggling.
Since Modi's government only restricts the purchase of power from power generation projects invested by China, but not from hydropower projects undertaken by China enterprises, Nepal proposes to sell more than 620 MW of hydropower to India, including the West Hydropower Station in Upper Tammacco undertaken by China enterprises.
India is still hesitating to accept this proposal, but time is running out. Nepalese scholars pointed out that the surrounding areas of Nepal have low hydropower development and lack of energy, and the country is surrounded by the expanding energy market. Besides Indian, there are also potential buyers in China, Tibet and Bangladesh.
BBC report screenshot
China enterprises build the largest hydropower project in Nepal.
At the beginning of 20021165438+10, the Central Power Bureau of India announced that it would allow Nepal to export electricity to India. This is a milestone for Nepal, because it is the first time that this Himalayan country has exported hydropower. According to the plan, Nepal will export 39 MW of electricity to India through the Indian Energy Exchange (IEX).
Nepal is located at the southern foot of the Himalayas, adjacent to the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China in the north, and surrounded by India in the southeast and west. It is the northernmost landlocked mountainous country in the South Asian subcontinent. Nepal is backed by snow-capped mountains, with many rivers, large water level difference and abundant hydropower resources. According to statistics, the reserve is 83 GW, of which 43 GW can be used for hydropower generation.
Geographical indication of Nepal
Although Nepal is rich in hydropower resources, its infrastructure construction capacity is weak, resulting in a small amount of hydropower resources development in the country. In the past few decades, Nepal has shown the image of power shortage.
In 20 13, the World Economic Forum ranked Nepal's power supply quality at143rd among 144 countries, equivalent to the second from the bottom. The Sri Lanka Energy Forum also pointed out that when comparing the power supply of South Asian countries, the reduction of power capacity and load in Nepal is the most serious problem.
In 20 14, during Indian Prime Minister Modi's visit to Nepal, the two countries formally signed a cross-border power trade agreement, and Nepal became the first Indian neighbor to use IEX cross-border platform for trade. However, due to the lack of electricity, Nepal has long bought electricity from India. During the peak period of 20 19, more than half of Nepal's electricity needs to be imported from India.
Therefore, Nepal's export of electricity to India this time is a huge turning point in Nepal's energy industry, marking the realization of Nepal's long-term dream of promoting national prosperity through the export of hydropower.
Nepal can realize this dream, and the "infrastructure madman" can be said to have contributed. Since the 1960s, China enterprises began to enter the Nepalese market with aid projects, and began to set foot in the contracted engineering market in the 1980s. So far, they have become the main participants in Nepal's contracted engineering market and made great contributions to Nepal's economic construction.
China Ministry of Commerce's Guide to Foreign Investment Cooperation (2020 Edition)
Especially in the field of hydropower construction with large engineering quantity and high difficulty. 20 10 In August, China Hydropower Group, the predecessor of China Power Construction Company, signed a civil engineering contract with Nepali Power Bureau for Upper Tama Koshi Hydropower Project. Located on the border between China and Nepal at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters, this hydropower station has the largest installed capacity in Nepal so far and is known as the "Three Gorges Project" in Nepal.
On July 5th, 20021year, after long-term hard construction, Shang Tamasi Hydropower Station with a total installed capacity of 456 MW and a total investment of 84 billion Nepalese rupees (about RMB 4.486 billion) began to be incorporated into Nepal's national power grid for power generation. In early August, the 11th Hydropower Bureau of China Power Construction officially handed over the largest hydropower project in Nepal. On August 17, four of the six units of Shangtamamaxi Hydropower Station began to generate electricity at full capacity, with a power generation capacity of 304 MW.
Source: China Dianjian.
As the largest hydropower station invested by the government in Nepalese history, Shang Tamasi Hydropower Station is known as "the glory of the country". On April 20 18, Ollie, then Prime Minister of Nepal, said during his inspection of the hydropower station: "The Nepalese people will benefit one day earlier if they go to Tamasi Hydropower Station to generate electricity. We are waiting for the light brought by China Power Construction, and we are looking forward to a beautiful day. "
The official commissioning of Shang Tamasi Hydropower Station, which was built by China enterprises, will not only contribute about 1% of Nepal's GDP, but also mark the official entry of Nepal into the era of "power surplus". Prior to this, Nepal Electric Power Bureau could supply 440 MW, its state-owned power company could supply 457 MW, and private power company could supply 508 MW, which could not meet the demand of 1.500 MW during peak hours in Nepal.
Now, after Shang Tamasi Hydropower Station is connected to the grid, the total hydropower generation in Nepal is close to 1.900 MW (rainy season), which greatly exceeds the demand during peak hours. More importantly, there are several hydropower stations under construction in Nepal, with a total installed capacity of 4642 MW. How to turn surplus electricity into value has become a "joy and worry" for the Nepalese government.
Ollie, then Prime Minister of Nepal, was inspecting the Upper Tamamasi Hydropower Station. Source: China Dianjian
India, which is seriously short of electricity, is very entangled.
With the help of China enterprises, Nepal has successfully completed the transformation from a poor power country to a rich power country, but its neighboring country, India, has fallen into a power crisis.
On the one hand, 70% of India's electricity generation comes from coal-fired power generation. With the global coal price rising, there is a serious shortage of coal in coal-fired power plants in India. On the other hand, India promises to be carbon neutral by 2070, and this goal cannot be achieved unless alternative energy sources are found.
Buying cheap hydropower resources from Nepal is undoubtedly a cost-effective choice for India. India is indeed doing this. In the eyes of environmentalists, this is a positive step for both Nepal and India, because it will not only help India to alleviate the power shortage and reduce carbon emissions, but also help Nepal realize its dream of exporting hydropower to promote economic growth and alleviate the serious trade deficit with India.
But India's idea is a bit complicated. Nepalese media reported that although India agreed to buy 39 MW of electricity from two hydropower stations in Nepal, both hydropower stations were invested by New Delhi. India will not buy the electricity generated by hydropower stations invested by China and Pakistan on the grounds that these two countries are bordered by India and have not signed an electricity trade agreement with India.
"Diplomatic Scholar" quoted the analysis of Nepalese experts and pointed out that this practice in India is absurd and counterproductive, because the electricity produced by any company in Nepal is first incorporated into the national grid, and then distributed and transmitted.
India's purchase restriction policy was introduced at the beginning of 20021. In the Specification for Approval and Promotion of Power Import and Export (Cross-border) by Specific Subjects published by India in February, 20021year, Modi government set a clause: If the power sold by Nepal comes from "power generation projects invested by neighboring countries bordering India by land", the export to India will be restricted to a certain extent. According to Nepalese officials, the policy aims to limit China's investment in Nepal's power sector in view of the tension between China and India.
Screenshot of Kathmandu Post report
According to Nepalese media analysis, this shows to a certain extent that Modi not only restricts China's investment in China, but also strongly uses domestic laws and regulations in an attempt to restrict China's investment in other South Asian countries; On the other hand, the Modi government's move will set a bad precedent for other third-party countries to be black and white and choose the sideline. If India continues to pursue such policies, it will inevitably create obstacles to the process of maintaining normal economic and trade exchanges between third countries and China and building the "Belt and Road".
But Modi's government's attempt may not succeed. At present, the serious power shortage in India is getting worse. After the deadly second wave of COVID-19 epidemic, with the recovery of India's economy, the country's demand for electricity rose sharply, and the soaring global coal price severely hit the enthusiasm of Indian enterprises to import coal. In the opinion of Indian experts, it is not an option for India to import more coal to make up for the domestic power shortage.
Two months ago, Kumarsingh, Minister of Electricity of India, said that India should be prepared for the power shortage in the next five to six months. Zohra chatterjee, former president of Coal India Limited, a state-owned enterprise responsible for 80% of India's coal supply, warned that if the power shortage continues, it will be difficult for India, the third largest economy in Asia, to get back on track. It is very important to reduce its excessive dependence on coal and actively implement the renewable energy strategy.
In this context, India certainly hopes to import more hydropower from Nepal. Modi's government restricted the purchase of electricity from power generation projects invested by China, but did not restrict the purchase of electricity from hydropower projects built by enterprises in China. At present, Nepal has proposed to sell more than 620 MW of hydropower to India, including the Upper Tammacco West Hydropower Station with an installed capacity of 456 MW, and India is considering this proposal.
Some Nepalese experts believe that the electricity price exported to India is too cheap. He wrote in Diplomatic Scholar magazine that the average price of electricity sold by Nepal to India at present is 4.33 Nepalese rupees per kWh (about RMB 0.23), while the Nepal Power Bureau buys the same electricity from producers at the price of 4.80 rupees in rainy season (when the river water level is high) and 8.40 rupees in winter (when the water level drops). In the long run, selling to India at a low price will limit the competitiveness of Nepal's industry and cause domestic dissatisfaction.
Screenshot of the report of Diplomatic Scholar magazine
In South Asia, India is not the only country with electricity import demand. The above scholars pointed out that the development of hydropower resources in the surrounding areas of Nepal is low and energy is scarce, and the country is surrounded by the expanding energy market. Besides Indian, there are China, Tibet and Bengal. Political analysts in Nepal are also worried that if they rely solely on the Indian market, Nepal may get stuck and electricity will become a new tool for India to control Nepal.
At the same time, considering the uncertainty of exporting electricity to India, Nepal is also encouraging domestic consumption of electricity: on the one hand, it will reduce the import tariff of domestic household appliances, on the other hand, it will reduce the household electricity price. Some analysts pointed out that even though India has restrictions on hydropower projects invested by China, Nepal can use the electricity invested by China for domestic sales and sell the electricity invested by Nepal and other countries to India.
However, even if Nepal can export electricity to India on a large scale in the future, there are still some problems to be solved urgently. The most important thing is the stability of power supply. In July 20021year, floods broke out in many places in Nepal, and several hydropower stations were forced to close to ensure safety. This has led to a power shortage in the country, and it can only import electricity from India. In addition, in the rainy season in Nepal, the foundations of many transmission lines are also greatly challenged, and the international transmission lines that Nepal transmits electricity to foreign countries also need to be improved.