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

Nepal is a small country in Asia, tucked between China and India in the Himalayan mountains. Almost all of its electricity — close to 100% — comes from hydropower, which means using the force of fast-moving rivers to make power. But last week, deadly floods tore through the country, killing more than 1,300 people and destroying 12 hydropower plants. The disaster has raised a big question: Is Nepal too dependent on one type of energy?

The floods hit the Trishuli River basin especially hard. Entire villages near the Nepal-Tibet border were wiped out, and thousands of people are still missing. Investigators believe a collapsed glacier and the rock beneath it caused a fast-moving flash flood. Scientists say it is too early to directly blame climate change, but Nepal's own disaster agency reports that more than 9 out of 10 disasters between 2018 and 2024 were related to climate.

The 12 damaged plants provided more than 10% of Nepal's total electricity. Officials from the Nepal Electricity Authority say they are not sure if some of these plants can ever be repaired. Hundreds of workers and residents are feared to be trapped in mud-filled tunnels. Spokesman Rajan Dhakal said that home electricity supply is still okay for now, but that 'the time has come for a rethink of our hydropower policy.'

Nepal's hydropower system has come a long way in just a few decades. Back in 2010, only about two-thirds of people in Nepal had electricity, and even then they might lose power for up to 16 hours every day. By 2018, most of the country had power around the clock, thanks to new plants and better energy management. Today, Nepal has 225 hydropower plants capable of powering about three million homes at the same time.

Most of Nepal's power plants are built high in the mountains, where rivers flow the fastest. That fast-moving water is great for making electricity, but the plants don't store water — they use whatever is flowing at the time. That design works in normal conditions but makes the plants very vulnerable to sudden floods. High-altitude areas of the Himalayas are also warming about 50% faster than the global average, which makes dangerous floods more likely.

This is not the first time the Trishuli River area has flooded badly. In September 2024, heavy rains caused flash floods in the same region. Then in July 2025, a glacial lake in Tibet burst and sent a rush of water into Nepal, killing at least 11 people and closing the Nepal-China border for nearly six months. The border had just reopened on January 1 before this new disaster struck.

Some of Nepal's biggest power projects were badly damaged in the floods. The Upper Trishuli-1 project, worth about $647 million, was nearly destroyed and had been funded by major international banks. Himanshu Thakkar, who studies dams and rivers across South Asia, said lenders knew the risks but did not demand strong enough safety steps. 'Their own reports repeatedly highlighted it,' he said, 'but they did not take any preventive steps.'

Experts are now saying Nepal must add other types of clean energy to reduce its risk. Renewable energy expert Kushal Gurung summed it up: 'We should not be putting all our eggs in one basket in these dangerous times.' He and others say Nepal should invest in solar and wind power. A report from a German aid group found that solar energy could produce about 10 times more power in Nepal than hydropower currently does.

Not everyone thinks Nepal can quickly move away from hydropower. Researcher Puspa Sharma says Nepal can diversify only so much, because hydropower gives the country a major advantage — it earns nearly $200 million a year by selling electricity to India and Bangladesh. Still, most experts agree that some mix of energy sources is needed to protect Nepal from future disasters. Even the Nepal Electricity Authority admits that plant designs need to improve.

Private energy companies are already feeling the financial damage. Insurers have paid out about $40 million for flood damage to more than 20 privately owned plants over the past three years, and premiums are rising fast. Nepal's climate delegate to the United Nations, Manjeet Dhakal, says the world must work together on solutions. 'Nepal is among the least responsible for the greenhouse emissions that led to these risks,' he said, adding that the country should not be left to face them alone.