Nepal sits atop one of the world’s most extraordinary clean energy resources — and in 2026, the world is finally paying attention. Nepal aims to nearly double its electricity contribution to India’s grid to 1.1 gigawatts this summer, when high temperatures are expected to drive record demand, and scale up to 2.5 gigawatts within two years thanks to a more modern grid infrastructure, according to Hitendra Dev Shakya, Managing Director at Nepal Electricity Authority. Tech Startups
The timing is strategic. With Middle East tensions pushing global energy prices higher, India is hungry for stable, affordable, and clean power — and Nepal is uniquely positioned to supply it. Nepal is positioning itself for energy-efficient data centres powered by its hydropower surplus Gamebezz, an argument gaining serious traction at bilateral tech forums.
The logic is compelling: cheap, renewable hydroelectricity plus a growing IT workforce plus newly liberalised FDI rules equals a natural destination for regional data infrastructure. Countries like Iceland have used exactly this model — leveraging cold climate and geothermal energy to attract global data centre investment.
The World Bank has also approved a $50 million investment to accelerate Nepal’s digital public infrastructure, covering an integrated online citizen service portal, a social registry, a government data exchange, and a digital locker for managing verifiable credentials and digital wallets. The Kathmandu Post
Nepal’s rivers are no longer just geography. They are becoming the backbone of a digital economy.
