Nepal bet nearly everything on hydropower - the floods show why that's a problem

What the report says

Nepal’s heavy reliance on hydropower has come under fresh scrutiny after last week’s deadly floods damaged key energy infrastructure in the Trishuli River basin. BBC World Service reports that more than 10% of the country’s electricity generation capacity was knocked offline, with 12 hydropower plants affected and operators still unsure whether all can be restored. The floods also destroyed villages near the Nepal-Tibet border and caused a wider humanitarian toll, with more than 1,300 people killed and many others still missing.

The BBC says Nepal now gets almost all of its electricity from hydropower and has used that system to move from chronic blackouts to regular power supply over the past decade. That model has brought export income and supported rapid expansion, but many plants are built in high mountain areas that are increasingly exposed to floods, glacier melt and other climate-related hazards. Officials and experts quoted by the BBC say the disaster has exposed weaknesses in site selection, plant design, emergency planning and the country’s broader energy strategy.

Among the responses being discussed are tougher resilience standards, better early-warning systems and more evacuation planning. Some energy specialists also argue Nepal should diversify further into solar and wind to reduce single-point failures, while others caution that hydropower remains a major competitive advantage. The article also notes that private operators are facing higher insurance costs and that international lenders have backed large projects in the basin, raising questions about risk management and future investment choices.