National power grid is likely to get 500-megawatt (MW) electricity from India by July 2013 as the government has completed necessary formalities to import the electricity to ease vexing power crisis.
Power Secretary Abul Kalam Azad said this on March 6 while briefing reporters at Bidduyt Bhaban about Bangladesh’s power purchase agreement (PPA) with the neighboring country.
The tariff for power to be imported from India by Bangladesh will change from time to time as per Indian law and Bangladesh can place its opinion to the Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) when any revision will be made, he said Dhaka signed the PPA with New Delhi to import the 250 MW power for 25-year tenure at a tariff of Rs 2.40 per kilowatt hour. The price is equivalent to Tk 4. Bangladesh is constructing a transmission line to import the power from India at a cost of Tk 1,100 crore. Prime Minister’s Adviser Dr Tawfiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury and PDB Chairman ASM Alamgir Kabir were also present at the briefing. Replying to a question, Tawfiq Elahi admitted that the power purchase deal was neither approved by the Cabinet Purchase Committee nor by the Cabinet Economic Affairs Committee before it was signed with India.
On January 29, the government inked the deal with India’s NTPC to set up country’s biggest ever coal-fired power plant in Bagerhat with a total generation capacity of 1320MW. As per the agreement, a separate joint-venture company will be formed to set up and operate the plant.
The PDB and the NTPC will implement the $1.5 billion project on a 50:50 equity basis. Bangladesh-India Joint Steering Committee on the power sector that was formed during Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to New Delhi in January 2010 decided to set up the joint-venture 1320mw coal-fired power plant About the sub-regional cooperation in the area of power, he said efforts are on to strengthen regional cooperation with Nepal, India and Bhutan. It has been decided in principle to set up grid connection within the region. The planned Paltana Power Plant project is to be set up in Indian state of Tripura to exchange electricity within the region. He also said efforts are also on to take joint-venture programme for generation of renewable energy.
e-Newsdesk
