BM Desk : Bangladesh has started importing power from Nepal via India’s grid line, following a multilateral deal that includes India.
Zahurul Islam, a member (generation) of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB), verified that energy delivery from Nepal began on Sunday, according to bdnews24.com.”We have begun receiving 38 MW of electricity from Nepal. According to the deal, Nepal would provide electricity to Bangladesh for six months, till the 15th of November,” he stated.
Last year, on June 11, the Awami League government authorized a proposal to import power directly from Nepal.At the time, the cost, including Indian transmission charges, was set at 6.4 cents per unit, or approximately Tk 7.50, which is less than Bangladesh’s current average production cost of more than Tk 11.
When the interim administration entered office in October, a tripartite deal was inked in Kathmandu to import 40MW of electricity. The BPDB inked an arrangement with the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and India’s NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN).
Following the agreement, Nepal provided electricity to Bangladesh for a few days in November. It was eventually discontinued during the dry season.
According to the deal, Nepal would resume supplying power to Bangladesh from June 15 to November 15. The Awami League government attempted to import Nepali hydropower for nearly six years, beginning in 2018. Although Nepal consented to the agreement that year, it was delayed due to bureaucratic impediments and requirements imposed by India. The agreement was inked in November.
