India, Nepal, Bangladesh ink power trade deal

​​​​​​​By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - India, Nepal, and Bangladesh inked an agreement Thursday to trade electricity, according to media reports.

The first of its kind deal was signed in Kathmandu, allowing Nepal to sell electricity to a third country, said the Kathmandu Post.

Nepal’s energy trade was previously taking place only with its southern neighbor, India.

The agreement was signed by officials of the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA), India's National Thermal Power Corporation and Bangladesh Power Development Board.

Nepal will export 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh through the transmission infrastructure on Indian territory.

Nepal and Bangladesh do not share a border.

Nepal, a landlocked Himalayan nation, is estimated to sell 144,000 MWh (megawatt-hour) of electricity in five months -- from mid-June to mid-November -- at the rate of 6.4 US cents a unit.

The NEA is estimated to earn around Rs330 million ($24.78 million) through the sale.​​​​​​​