Nepal will start importing 80MW electricity from India from Wednesday.

Nepal Electricity Authority and India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam signed a temporary power supply agreement on Monday after settling price issues.

As per the agreement, signed by NEA Managing Director Mukesh Kafle and NTPC General Manager AK Maggu, Nepal will for now buy electricity from India for the next four and a half months at Rs5.5 per unit (IRs 3.44 per unit).

“This is the cheapest rate Nepal has got,” said Sher Singh Bhat, director of Power Trading Department at the NEA.

There could be some changes in the rate after the agreement expires in June-end.

NEA officials said the electricity utility will test distribute the imported electricity for a week and thereafter will calculate whether load shedding hours could be reduced.

The country is currently facing 13 hours of outage every day.