Which Places Actually Make Sense for a Tier-4 Hyperscale Data Center?

Beyond Kathmandu — a location-by-location examination of where Nepal can realistically build world-class data infrastructure, grounded in electricity data, seismic science, climate records, and current policy.

TLDR (for what’s in the article): Nepal’s vast hydropower surplus, ultra-low business electricity rates, and new data-center regulatory framework have put the country on the map for digital infrastructure investment. But which specific locations can actually support a Tier-4 hyperscale facility – the most demanding class of data center on earth? This article cuts through the noise with verified climate, seismic, power, and connectivity data to identify the most credible sites, province by province.

What a Tier-4 Hyperscale Data Center Actually Demands

Before evaluating any location, it helps to understand what is being built. The Uptime Institute, the globally recognised body that certifies data center performance, places Tier 4 at the top of its four-level scale. A Tier-4 facility must deliver 99.995% uptime — meaning no more than roughly 26 minutes of unplanned downtime across an entire year — and every single system, from power feeds to cooling loops to network paths, must have full 2N+1 redundancy. No single component failure can interrupt operations. [1]

For hyperscale facilities specifically, the power appetite alone is staggering. A single hyperscale data center draws at least 100 megawatts (MW) of electricity continuously, with some next-generation campuses targeting 200 MW or more.[2] Building one to Tier-4 standards typically costs in excess of $500 million USD and takes 18 to 24 months to complete.[3]

Site selection for such a facility is governed by a strict checklist:

• Reliable power, at scale. Access to a high-capacity grid with dedicated substations and ideally proximity to generation sources.
• Climate stability. Cooler ambient temperatures significantly reduce the energy cost of cooling, which typically accounts for around 38% of a data center’s total energy draw.[4] Operators avoid areas prone to extreme weather.
• Low natural disaster risk. Fault lines, floodplains, and landslide corridors are disqualifiers.
• Redundant fibre connectivity. Multiple independent paths to national and international internet exchanges are non-negotiable.
• Water access. Evaporative cooling systems can use millions of gallons of water per day, making proximity to sustainable water sources a growing priority.[5]
• Regulatory and investment environment. Stable licensing, tax frameworks, and environmental rules reduce risk for long-term capital.

Nepal has genuine strengths on several of these criteria. It also has honest weaknesses. Both deserve a careful look.

Nepal’s Structural Advantages — and Where They Come From

Hydropower: The Core Asset

Nepal’s geography is the foundation of everything. The country sits atop an annual water discharge of 225 billion cubic metres flowing out of the Himalayas, and its total theoretical hydropower potential is approximately 83,000 MW, of which roughly 43,000 MW is considered economically and technically viable.[6]

As of 4 March 2025, Nepal’s total installed electricity capacity stood at 3,421.956 MW, of which 3,255.806 MW came from hydropower.[7] That is a small fraction of what is possible. As more projects come online, the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) projects a maximum surplus of 2,456 MW and an annual energy surplus of 14,022 million units by fiscal year 2025–2026.[8] Nepal, which previously imported electricity from India during the dry season, is on track to become an exclusive net exporter.

The strategic implication is direct: Nepal may soon have significant renewable electricity to spare, and data centers are among the most power-hungry uses for that surplus.

Electricity Price: Among the Cheapest in Asia

Industrial electricity buyers in Nepal paid NPR 9.21 per kilowatt-hour (approximately USD 0.062) as of September 2025.[9] This places Nepal at 43.44% of the world average business electricity rate and 63.19% of the Asian average for business consumers. For a hyperscale data center drawing 100 MW continuously, the annual electricity bill at the Nepali business rate would be roughly $54 million — compared to over $175 million at the US average commercial rate. The savings are structural, not speculative.

The Policy Shift of 2025

Nepal’s government issued the Data Centre and Cloud Services (Operation and Management) Directives in 2025, creating a formal licensing and tier-rating framework for data center operators for the first time. Any data center storing government data is now required to hold at least a Tier 3 rating or above.[10] In January 2025, the government also introduced IT/ICT Ordinance reforms that opened the sector to foreign direct investment through new legal pathways.[11]

The first facility to be certified under the new 2025 directives was Ncell’s Tier III integrated data center in Nakkhu, Lalitpur.[12] In July 2025, the International Finance Corporation (IFC), in partnership with Standard Chartered Bank Nepal, committed $29 million to WorldLink Communications and its subsidiary Data World Limited to build fibre networks and data centers across the country.[13] India’s Yotta Data Services is also building a facility near Kathmandu for BLC under a deal signed in April 2024.[14]

The trajectory is clear — but the right question for a Tier-4 hyperscale facility is not whether Nepal can host data centers at all, but where specifically conditions are best.

The Non-Negotiable Problem: Seismic Risk

Nepal sits at the collision boundary of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates and lies in one of the most seismically active regions on earth. The country has experienced major earthquakes in 1934, 1988, 2015 (the Gorkha earthquake, magnitude 7.8, which killed nearly 9,000 people and caused roughly $10 billion in damage), and a Jajarkot earthquake in the western region in 2023.[15]

Research published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (2022) provides district-level mapping of integrated seismic risk, combining physical hazard with social vulnerability. The findings are geographically specific and relevant to site selection:

• Kathmandu Valley has the highest integrated seismic risk index in the country. The valley’s basin-fill sediments amplify ground shaking significantly — a well-documented effect from 2015.[16]
• The eastern Terai region (including Janakpur, Biratnagar, and surrounding districts) also carries a high integrated risk index.[17]
• The central and eastern mountain regions, and parts of the far-western hills, show the lowest seismic risk.[18]
• The mid-hill belt, running through areas like Pokhara, Butwal, and Hetauda, shows moderate risk — lower than Kathmandu and the eastern Terai.

This matters because a Tier-4 facility must maintain operations through virtually any foreseeable disruption. In high seismic-risk zones, construction costs rise substantially (deep piling, seismic-isolating foundations, hardened structures), and residual risk remains. Location choice in Nepal therefore requires factoring seismic data directly into the site matrix.

Location-by-Location Assessment

The following analysis evaluates eight locations across Nepal’s provinces using available verified data on climate, seismic risk, electricity infrastructure, connectivity, and land availability. These are not random suggestions — each has specific documented characteristics that make it worth examining.

1. Pokhara, Gandaki Province

Climate: Pokhara sits at approximately 800 metres above sea level and has a mean annual temperature of 18.3°C — the lowest of Nepal’s major cities measured in 2024.[19] January averages reach as low as 13.5°C, and even the warmest months (July–August) average around 26°C.[20] For a data center where cooling accounts for the largest single share of operational energy, this temperature profile is a genuine competitive advantage.

Seismic risk: Moderate. Pokhara is not within the Kathmandu basin’s amplification zone, nor in the high-risk eastern Terai belt.

Power: Located in Gandaki Province, Pokhara has access to hydropower from the Seti, Madi, and broader Gandaki river systems. The NEA is investing in expanding transmission infrastructure in the province.

Connectivity: The Nepal Telecommunications Authority (NTA) and Nepal Telecommunications Company signed an agreement in August 2025 specifically to extend optical fibre installations in Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.[21] Pokhara International Airport, which became operational in 2023, also improves logistical access for equipment.

Challenges: Pokhara receives approximately 3,900–4,851 mm of annual rainfall — the highest of any major Nepali city.[22] While this water abundance can be useful for cooling, it also presents flood management requirements and raises infrastructure design costs. Landslide risk in surrounding hillsides requires careful site selection within the district.

Verdict: Strong candidate for cooling efficiency and moderate seismic risk. Requires careful flood and landslide engineering. Growing connectivity makes it more viable every year.

2. Itahari / Sunsari–Morang Industrial Corridor, Koshi Province

Climate: The Sunsari–Morang belt, which includes Itahari, Dharan, and the broader industrial zone connecting to Biratnagar, sits at the foot of the Siwalik hills. Dharan has a mean annual temperature of 21.6°C,[23] and the area benefits from elevation that keeps temperatures lower than the deep Terai plains.

Seismic risk: Lower than Kathmandu and the eastern Terai plain. The integrated seismic risk study notes that central and eastern mountain regions and some mid-hill areas carry lower risk than lowland Terai cities like Biratnagar and Janakpur.[24]

Power: This is where Koshi Province becomes especially interesting. NEA is actively strengthening electricity supply in the Morang and Sunsari industrial corridors.[25] Electricity from hydropower projects on the Arun and Tamor rivers is being connected to the Inaruwa Substation via the Koshi Corridor 220 kV transmission line. Electricity generated in Taplejung, Panchthar, and Ilam districts reaches Damak in Jhapa through the Kabeli Corridor transmission line.[26] The result is that the Sunsari–Morang zone is set to receive some of Nepal’s most abundant and grid-reinforced renewable electricity.

Connectivity: Biratnagar is one of Nepal’s primary internet border crossing points, where Nepal Telecom receives bandwidth from Indian operators through optical fibre connections.[27] The Sunsari–Morang corridor’s proximity to this crossing gives it strong international connectivity potential.

Land: The region has established industrial zones and relatively flat terrain, which reduces civil engineering complexity.

Verdict: One of the strongest overall candidates. Strong power outlook, growing connectivity, cooler than the flat Terai, and lower seismic risk than Kathmandu or eastern lowland cities. The active NEA investment makes infrastructure planning more predictable.

3. Hetauda, Bagmati Province

Climate: Hetauda sits in the inner Terai, sheltered by the Mahabharat hills. Its climate is milder than the open Terai plains. The area has historically been an industrial hub.

Seismic risk: Moderate. The integrated seismic risk study identifies Hetauda as having a “highly integrated risk index,” but this is partly due to its high density of existing commercial structures rather than extreme geological hazard compared to the Kathmandu basin. Proper engineering standards mitigate this.

Power: Hetauda has an established electricity grid, including the Hetauda diesel plant (14.41 MW) as a backup source. More importantly, it is a transmission corridor node connecting generation from central Nepal hydropower projects.

Connectivity: Hetauda is connected to Kathmandu via the Tribhuvan Highway (the oldest road connecting the capital to the Terai) and the East-West Highway. Ncell already operates a disaster recovery data center in Hetauda, demonstrating that the location has been independently evaluated as viable for data infrastructure.[28]

Challenges: Less developed fibre connectivity than Kathmandu or Biratnagar border crossings. Would require dedicated fibre investment for hyperscale-grade redundancy.

Verdict: Viable as a secondary or disaster-recovery site. Existing data infrastructure validates the location. Connectivity requires investment to reach hyperscale standards.

4. Butwal / Bhairahawa (Rupandehi), Lumbini Province

Climate: Both cities sit in the Terai plain. Temperatures in the summer regularly exceed 35°C, which means active cooling costs are higher than at hill-station locations like Pokhara or the Sunsari–Morang foothill zone.

Seismic risk: Moderate. Lower than Kathmandu and the eastern Terai, and not identified as a high-risk cluster in the 2022 seismic risk study.

Power: The Bhairahawa Special Economic Zone (SEZ), declared in 2014 and Nepal’s first operational SEZ, has dedicated electricity infrastructure including a 132 kV NEA substation.[29] In November 2025, the government reduced SEZ land lease rates by 75% to NPR 5 per square metre at Bhairahawa and Simara to attract more investment.[30]

Connectivity: Bhairahawa is one of Nepal’s primary border crossings with India and a key internet bandwidth point. Nepal Telecom receives international bandwidth through optical fibre connections here.[31] Gautam Buddha International Airport is located in this area, improving equipment logistics.

Land: The Bhairahawa SEZ covers 36.8 hectares of land with pre-developed infrastructure, reducing upfront civil works costs.

Challenges: Terai heat is the primary limiting factor for cooling costs. Flood risk during monsoon is real and requires drainage engineering.

Verdict: Strong case for connectivity and established industrial infrastructure. The SEZ framework and tax incentives are genuine advantages. Cooling cost penalty requires liquid cooling or other advanced systems given summer heat.

5. Simara / Bara, Madhesh Province

Climate: Simara sits on the open Terai plain south of Hetauda, near the Birgunj border crossing. It is hotter and more exposed than foothill locations.

Seismic risk: Moderate to elevated in some models, given Terai proximity to fault systems.

Power: Simara SEZ has a completed 132 kV NEA substation for Block A infrastructure.[32] It is the second government-established SEZ, adjacent to the country’s busiest land border crossing with India (Birgunj/Raxaul).

Connectivity: Birgunj is a primary optical fibre crossing point for international bandwidth. The location benefits from proximity to this connectivity asset.

Land: The Simara SEZ has 843 bighas (approximately 570 hectares) allocated, with the Garment Processing Zone occupying 163 bighas.[33] Significant flat, already-acquired land is available.

Challenges: Hot Terai climate, monsoon flooding, and relatively higher cooling demands. Birgunj/Simara is a trade and manufacturing corridor — it faces industrial land competition but also has ready infrastructure.

Verdict: A strong logistics and connectivity play if cooling engineering is budgeted properly. Better suited as part of a multi-site strategy than as the primary compute campus.

6. Biratnagar (Morang), Koshi Province

Climate: Average annual temperature of approximately 24.2°C, with summer highs reaching nearly 34°C.[34] Hot Terai climate, though less extreme than some western Terai cities.

Seismic risk: The 2022 integrated seismic risk study specifically identifies the eastern Terai region, including Biratnagar, as carrying a high integrated risk index — higher than many other locations evaluated here.[35] This is the most significant constraint for a Tier-4 facility.

Connectivity and industry: Biratnagar is Nepal’s largest industrial city and a primary internet border point. The Greater Birat Development Area connects Biratnagar with Itahari, Dharan, Biratchowk, and Gothgau.[36] A Biratnagar SEZ is planned in Province 1.

Verdict: The city itself is important for connectivity and logistics, but the elevated seismic risk in the eastern Terai lowlands is a significant engineering and insurance cost factor for Tier-4 certification. The Itahari/Sunsari–Morang foothill zone, 24–46 km to the north, offers comparable connectivity with lower risk.

7. Kathmandu Valley (Existing Data Center Cluster)

Context: Kathmandu is where Nepal’s current data center industry is concentrated, and for good reason — it has the best existing connectivity, skilled labour, and institutional presence.

Seismic risk: High. The valley’s deep basin of fluvial-lacustrine deposits, up to 600 metres thick, is well-documented to amplify seismic shaking significantly. The 2024 spatial vulnerability study confirms that Kathmandu Valley has the highest seismic vulnerability index in the country.[37] The 2015 Gorkha earthquake damaged over 700,000 buildings, with the valley at the epicentre of the worst structural losses.

Space and cost: Urban land in the Kathmandu Valley is expensive and increasingly constrained. The 2026 investigative reporting on Nepal’s data center ambitions noted that existing facilities in Nakkhu, Lalitpur, are already drawing community concern about proximity to residential areas.[38]

Verdict: Suitable for Tier-2 and Tier-3 facilities, disaster recovery nodes, and interconnection points — which is why Ncell and others are there. For a primary Tier-4 hyperscale campus, the seismic risk, land constraints, and cooling costs (Kathmandu averages around 18°C but the valley’s density limits passive cooling options) make it a problematic choice. Edge facilities connected to the main campus located elsewhere would be the appropriate Kathmandu role.

8. Far-Western Region (Surkhet, Dhangadhi)

Seismic risk: The integrated seismic risk study notes that far-western hills and mountain regions are among the lowest-risk areas in Nepal.[39] This is a genuine structural advantage.

Climate: Surkhet, in the Karnali mid-hills, has a moderate climate suitable for passive cooling for parts of the year.

Challenges: Infrastructure is the binding constraint. Road connectivity is poor. Fibre penetration is limited. Electricity transmission from the national grid to this region requires significant investment. There is no functioning SEZ or established industrial zone. A planned SEZ in Jumla (Karnali Province) is in early pipeline stages only.[40] These facts make the far-western region unsuitable as a primary Tier-4 location in the near-to-medium term, despite its seismic advantage.

Verdict: Long-term potential if infrastructure investment follows. Not viable for a near-term hyperscale project.

Comparative Summary

What Nepal’s Interest Requires

Nepal’s interest is not simply to host any data center — it is to benefit economically while managing risk to communities and the environment. Several points are worth stating plainly, based on the 2025 reporting:

The environmental gap must be closed. As of early 2026, Nepal’s environmental regulatory framework does not include data centers in Schedule 3 (which requires a full Environmental Impact Assessment). Ministry of Forest and Environment officials confirmed on record that data centers have not been envisioned in the current legal framework, and that electronic waste, water consumption, and power consumption are not yet addressed in Nepal’s environmental laws.[41] For a Tier-4 hyperscale facility drawing 100+ MW — which can consume millions of gallons of water per day through evaporative cooling — this regulatory gap is a serious public interest concern. Filling it is a prerequisite for responsible hyperscale development.

Community notification must be mandatory. The 2026 investigation into the Ncell data center in Nakhhu found that residents in adjacent wards were not properly informed during construction.[42] For a facility the size of a Tier-4 campus, community consultation must happen before ground breaks, not after.

Nepal’s hydropower economics are the strongest argument. At USD 0.062 per kWh for business consumers — less than half the Asian average — Nepal’s industrial electricity pricing is a real competitive advantage.[43] As the surplus grows toward and beyond 2,456 MW, negotiated Power Purchase Agreements at even lower rates for anchor industrial tenants (as is common globally for hyperscale facilities) become realistic.

Connectivity needs to catch up. Nepal depends on India for the majority of its international bandwidth through connections at Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, and Birgunj, and on China for a secondary connection through the Rasuwa crossing.[44] For a hyperscale facility, diverse international connectivity from multiple directions is essential. The Digital Nepal Framework 2.0 identifies this dependency as a cost and resilience risk — in 2023, Nepali companies spent NPR 4.7 billion importing bandwidth.[45] Resolving this through additional cross-border links is a national infrastructure priority that directly serves the data center case.

The Strongest Recommendation for Nepal’s Interest

Based on the full weight of the data, two locations stand out as the most credible near-term candidates for a Tier-4 hyperscale campus aligned with Nepal’s national interests:

Primary recommendation: The Itahari/Sunsari–Morang foothill corridor, Koshi Province. This zone benefits from the lowest seismic risk of any well-connected, industrially accessible area in Nepal. NEA is actively upgrading its 220 kV Koshi Corridor transmission infrastructure, fed by hydropower from the Arun and Tamor rivers. International internet connectivity is accessible via the Biratnagar border crossing. Average temperatures of around 21–22°C allow meaningful passive cooling, reducing energy costs. The area has established industrial land and is part of the Greater Birat Development Area urban connectivity network.

Secondary recommendation: Pokhara (with a flood and landslide engineering plan), Gandaki Province. Nepal’s most naturally climate-friendly location for data center cooling, with a mean annual temperature of 18.3°C. Fibre is expanding under the 2025 NTA agreement. Access to Gandaki hydropower is growing. With proper site engineering to manage the high rainfall, Pokhara offers conditions that few data center locations in South Asia can match.

Both recommendations are grounded in verified, publicly available data. Neither is a guess based on population centre prestige or administrative convenience.

References

[1]: Uptime Institute. Tier Classification System. https://uptimeinstitute.com/tiers

[2]: C&C Technology Group. “How Much Power Does a Hyperscale Data Center Use?” December 15, 2025. https://cc-techgroup.com/how-much-power-does-a-hyperscale-data-center-use/

[3]: INGENIOUS.BUILD. “Data Center Tiers Explained: Tier I, II, III & IV (2026 Guide).” https://www.ingenious.build/blog-posts/data-center-tiers-explained

[4]: Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI). “Data Center Energy Needs Could Upend Power Grids and Threaten the Climate.” https://www.eesi.org/articles/view/data-center-energy-needs-are-upending-power-grids-and-threatening-the-climate

[5]: Salas O’Brien. “How Hyperscale Data Centers Are Coping with Rising Energy Demands.” December 8, 2025. https://salasobrien.com/news/hyperscale-data-centers-energy/

[6]: Wikipedia. “Energy in Nepal.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_in_Nepal (citing CIA World Factbook, IEA, NEA sources)

[7]: Wikipedia. “List of Power Stations in Nepal.” As of 4 March 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_power_stations_in_Nepal

[8]: Niroula, Y.R. “Nepal’s Hydropower Landscape: Strengths, Vulnerabilities, and Growth.” PM World Journal, Vol. XIV, Issue VIII, August 2025. https://pmworldjournal.com/article/august-2025-pm-update-from-nepal (citing NEA simulation data)

[9]: GlobalPetrolPrices.com. “Nepal Electricity Prices, September 2025.” Sources: Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation (MoEWRI); Nepal Electricity Authority. https://www.globalpetrolprices.com/Nepal/electricity_prices/

[10]: Pioneer Law Associates. “Data Centre and Cloud Services Directive in Nepal / Key Regulations 2025.” April 28, 2025. https://pioneerlaw.com/resource/data-centre-and-cloud-services/

[11]: MobileMall Blog. “3 Tech Developments Reshaping Nepal’s Digital Economy in 2025–2026.” March 27, 2026. https://mobilemall.co/blog/3-tech-developments-reshaping-nepals-digital-economy-in-2025-2026/

[12]: Developing Telecoms. “Nepal’s Ncell First to Be Certified Under New Govt Data Centre Directive.” April 23, 2025. https://developingtelecoms.com/telecom-technology/data-centres-networks/18376-nepal-s-ncell-first-to-be-certified-under-new-govt-data-centre-directive.html

[13]: IFC Press Room. “Nepal Embarks on Digital Transformation with Landmark Investment in Broadband and Data Infrastructure.” July 7, 2025. https://www.ifc.org/en/pressroom/2025/nepal-embarks-on-digital-transformation-with-landmark-investment-in-broadband-and-

[14]: Developing Telecoms (ibid), April 2025.

[15]: Nepal Disaster Risk Reduction Portal. “Risk Profile of Nepal.” http://www.drrportal.gov.np/risk-profile-of-nepal; also: Poudel & Chaulagain, 2024 (cited in seismic zonation literature).

[16]: Poudyal, D., Nordin, N., Roslan, S.N.A., Dahal, B.K. “Spatial Mapping of the Seismic Vulnerability Index in Kathmandu Valley.” Journal of Geophysics and Engineering, Volume 21, Issue 4, August 2024. https://academic.oup.com/jge/article/21/4/1272/7696738

[17]: Integrated Seismic Risk Assessment in Nepal. Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences (NHESS), October 7, 2022. https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/22/3211/2022/

[18]: NHESS (ibid), 2022.

[19]: Trek Me Nepal. “Nepal Weather By Places: Pokhara.” 2025 (citing Climate Data, 2024). https://trekmenepal.com/blog/2025/weather-in-nepal-by-places/

[20]: Climates to Travel. “Nepal Climate: Weather Nepal & Temperature by Month.” https://www.climatestotravel.com/climate/nepal

[21]: Radio Nepal Online. “NTA and NTC Agree to Extend Optical Fiber Installation.” August 16, 2025. https://radionepalonline.com/en/2025/08/16/414962.html

[22]: climate-data.org. “Pokhara Climate.” https://en.climate-data.org/asia/nepal/western-development-region/pokhara-613/

[23]: Trek Me Nepal (ibid), 2025 (citing Lamsal & Bajracharya, 2016; Aksha et al., 2020).

[24]: NHESS (ibid), 2022.

[25]: UrjaKhabar. “NEA Strengthening Electricity Supply in Morang and Sunsari Industrial Corridors.” December 9, 2025. https://urjakhabar.com/en/news/0211190221

[26]: UrjaKhabar (ibid).

[27]: The Himalayan Times. “Nepal-China Optical Fibre Link Operationalised.” 2018 (citing NT officials on existing India-side connections at Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, and Birgunj). https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/sino-nepal-cross-border-optical-fibre-link-starts-operations-today

[28]: Developing Telecoms (ibid), April 2025.

[29]: Nepal Studies / SEZ Authority. “Bhairahawa Special Economic Zone.” https://seznepal.gov.np/

[30]: Grokipedia. “Special Economic Zones (Nepal).” December 25, 2025. https://grokipedia.com/page/special_economic_zones_nepal

[31]: The Himalayan Times (ibid), citing NT officials.

[32]: Kathmandu Post. “Entrepreneurs Reluctant to Move into Special Economic Zones.” June 8, 2019. https://kathmandupost.com/money/2019/06/08/entrepreneurs-reluctant-to-move-into-special-economic-zones

[33]: Kathmandu Post (ibid).

[34]: climate-data.org. “Nepal Climate.” https://en.climate-data.org/asia/nepal-26/ (citing Yadav et al., 2024 for Biratnagar temperature range).

[35]: NHESS (ibid), 2022.

[36]: Wikipedia. “Biratnagar.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biratnagar

[37]: Poudyal et al., Journal of Geophysics and Engineering (ibid), August 2024.

[38]: Kathmandu Post. “Nepal Wants to Become a Data Centre Hub. It Has No Rules for How.” April 27, 2026. https://kathmandupost.com/national/2026/04/27/nepal-wants-to-become-a-data-centre-hub-it-has-no-rules-for-how

[39]: NHESS (ibid), 2022.

[40]: Business 360 Nepal. “Special Economic Zones.” https://www.b360nepal.com/detail/5842/special-economic-zones

[41]: Kathmandu Post (ibid), April 27, 2026 (citing Dipak Jnawali, co-secretary, Ministry of Forest and Environment).

[42]: Kathmandu Post (ibid), April 27, 2026.

[43]: GlobalPetrolPrices.com (ibid), September 2025.

[44]: The Himalayan Times (ibid); Digital Rights Nepal. “State of Digital Rights and Safety in Nepal 2024.” January 2025. https://digitalrightsnepal.org/

[45]: New Business Age. “Digital Nepal Framework 2.0: Preparations Underway to Boost IT Export Capacity.” December 20, 2025. https://newbusinessage.com/news/43080/digital-nepal-framework-20-preparations-underway-to-boost-it-export-capacity/

This article was compiled using government data, peer-reviewed research, regulatory filings, and verified journalism. All statistics cited reflect the most recent publicly available figures as of May 2026. No location recommendation in this article is based on political preference, administrative proximity, or commercial interest.