Kathmandu, Sept. 2 -- For Nepal, the monsoon is normally the season of abundant electricity.

Heavy rains swell the rivers that power its run-of-river hydropower plants, allowing the country to generate more electricity than it can consume and sell the surplus to its neighbours. But this year, the same rivers have become a source of disruption.

The devastating flood that swept through the Bhotekoshi river system on August 26 has shut down hydropower projects and sharply reduced Nepal's electricity exports. Bangladesh, which only recently began receiving Nepali electricity through the Indian grid, has been hit particularly hard: exports to the country have effectively stopped.

Nepal had been exporting an average of about 1,000 megawatts ...