Kathmandu, 3 November: Nepal has been allowed to sell electricity at competitive rates in the Indian energy market. With the consent of the Indian Ministry of Energy, the body approving for inter-country electricity trade on Monday allowed the Nepal Electricity Authority to sell electricity in the Indian Energy Exchange Market. In the first phase, NEA has given permission to sell 39 MW of electricity generated from 24 MW Trishuli and 15 MW Devighat power plants in Nuwakot to the Indian Energy Exchange. The electricity generated from the two power plants has been allowed to be sold in the Indian market as a source. NEA will start exporting electricity through Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 KV interstate transmission line from 12 noon on Tuesday. Currently, only electricity is being imported from this line. Nepal has already received permission to purchase and import electricity from the Indian Energy Exchange (IEE). NEA has been importing electricity at a competitive rate through IEE since April 3. With the permission to export, electricity trade between Nepal and India has entered a new phase. Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Pampha Bhusal said Nepal has become the first country in South Asia to enter the Indian energy exchange market to buy and sell electricity.  "Through continuous efforts at the political, diplomatic and administrative levels, India has accepted consuming electricity in Nepal, which is a cornerstone for energy trade between the two countries," she said. NEA Executive Director Kulman Ghising said that Nepal-India relations have entered a new height after India agreed to import Nepal’s electricity. Nepal will sell electricity in the daily electricity market (Day-Ahead Market) under India's central electricity system. NEA will compete in the bid every day from 10 am to 12 noon with the quantity of electricity sold in the exchange market. The selling rate per unit of electricity will be decided on the basis of the market-clearing price. Once the competitive rate is fixed, electricity will be exported 24 hours a day from 12 noon to 12 o'clock the next night. The incline in coal price in India has increased the electricity price to 28 Indian rupees per unit.  People’s News Monitoring Service