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NEW DELHI: India and Bangladesh will sign an agreement for exchanging electricity in off-peak hours and opening gates for cross-investment in the
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power sector. The deal will be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit in the second week of December and will require connecting the transmission systems of the two countries, estimated to cost $200 million.
Government sources said the two sides are looking at exchanging electricity for nearly 17 hours a day. The volume of electricity exchanged is expected to be as high as 250 mw in the initial period and could eventually go up to 1,000 mw. Bangladesh has identified four interconnect points but India is finding Behrampur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and Tripura as more viable sites for establishing the links.
The two points will link Iswardi and Asuganj, respectively, in Bangladesh. The agreement could eventually see Indian companies such as the Tata Group to revive their mothballed plans of setting up power plants in Bangladesh using gas form that country's Bibiyana fields and sell surplus electricity to India. The group had proposed to set up a power plant as part of its $3 billion investment plan that also included fertiliser and steel units.
For Bangladesh, the agreement will help overcome electricity shortages and manage peak-hour demands. It will also open a door for that country to source power from Bhutan and wheel it through the Indian transmission system. Demand for the use of Indian grid in return for allowing a pipeline from Myanmar to pass through its territory was one of the issues that saw a tripartite deal fall through in 2005-06.
A power link between India and Bangladesh will also fill up a gap in the proposed Saarc electricity grid. India already has a power link with Bhutan and is working on ramping up electricity imports to at least 5,000 mw by 2020. Simultaneously, it is also talking to Sri Lanka for an undersea link and Nepal for an overland interconnect that will allow exchange of 250-500 mw initially.
The sources said Bangladesh power secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad was here recently to sew up details of the agreement and finalise the draft agreement. A team of Indian officials was also in Bangladesh two days back for reconnaisance. Joint technical teams will finalise modalities of implementing projects once the deal is signed.
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power sector. The deal will be signed during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit in the second week of December and will require connecting the transmission systems of the two countries, estimated to cost $200 million.
Government sources said the two sides are looking at exchanging electricity for nearly 17 hours a day. The volume of electricity exchanged is expected to be as high as 250 mw in the initial period and could eventually go up to 1,000 mw. Bangladesh has identified four interconnect points but India is finding Behrampur in West Bengal's Murshidabad district and Tripura as more viable sites for establishing the links.
The two points will link Iswardi and Asuganj, respectively, in Bangladesh. The agreement could eventually see Indian companies such as the Tata Group to revive their mothballed plans of setting up power plants in Bangladesh using gas form that country's Bibiyana fields and sell surplus electricity to India. The group had proposed to set up a power plant as part of its $3 billion investment plan that also included fertiliser and steel units.
For Bangladesh, the agreement will help overcome electricity shortages and manage peak-hour demands. It will also open a door for that country to source power from Bhutan and wheel it through the Indian transmission system. Demand for the use of Indian grid in return for allowing a pipeline from Myanmar to pass through its territory was one of the issues that saw a tripartite deal fall through in 2005-06.
A power link between India and Bangladesh will also fill up a gap in the proposed Saarc electricity grid. India already has a power link with Bhutan and is working on ramping up electricity imports to at least 5,000 mw by 2020. Simultaneously, it is also talking to Sri Lanka for an undersea link and Nepal for an overland interconnect that will allow exchange of 250-500 mw initially.
The sources said Bangladesh power secretary Mohammad Abul Kalam Azad was here recently to sew up details of the agreement and finalise the draft agreement. A team of Indian officials was also in Bangladesh two days back for reconnaisance. Joint technical teams will finalise modalities of implementing projects once the deal is signed.
