The Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) currently has an agreement to import 160 megawatts (MW) of electricity from the northeastern Indian state of Tripura. Of this, the 100 MW power purchase deal is set to expire in March next year (2026). Indian company NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN) has already begun initiatives to renew the agreement with BPDB.

According to a report published in the Indian media on Tuesday (October 21), NVVN has started working on renewing the power purchase deal for electricity from the Palatana power plant in Tripura. Officials from NVVN confirmed the development on October 18.

BPDB signed the 100 MW power purchase agreement with Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) to import electricity from Tripura. TSECL supplies this electricity to Bangladesh from NVVN’s Palatana power plant. The contract is set to expire in March 2026, meaning over five months remain before the term ends.

Last Thursday, NVVN officials met with TSECL Managing Director Debashish Bose in New Delhi to discuss the renewal. Speaking to the media, Bose said:

“We are ready to renew the agreement with BPDB. Currently, TSECL is supplying an average of 85 MW of electricity to Bangladesh daily, which may rise to 100 MW starting from November.”

He added:

“NVVN will take the next steps by discussing the renewal directly with BPDB. If they agree, we will continue supplying power to our neighboring country.”

The electricity cooperation between Bangladesh and India began with a memorandum of understanding signed in 2010. Under that framework, BPDB and NVVN signed a second-phase five-year agreement in April 2017, which was initially valid until March 2021. The deal was later extended to March 2026, which is now approaching its end.

Despite NVVN’s active push for an extension, BPDB officials say they have not received any formal communication from either NVVN or TSECL. Two senior BPDB officials confirmed that no letter has been received yet, and that the issue will be reviewed once a formal proposal is submitted.

A top BPDB official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the media:

“There has been no discussion with NVVN yet about renewing the power import deal. BPDB will first hold an internal review meeting before making a decision. Also, we haven’t received any formal letter from NVVN regarding renewal. If a renewal is considered, we will propose a price reduction.”

He further mentioned that from January next year, BPDB plans to begin integrating electricity from the Rooppur nuclear power plant into the national grid. This raises the question of whether electricity from Tripura will still be needed, which will also be reviewed during the internal discussion.

The exact volume of electricity imported from Tripura during the 2024–25 fiscal year is not immediately available. However, according to BPDB’s annual report:

In FY 2023–24, NVVN (India–Tripura) supplied 3 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of electricity under the 160 MW deal. In the previous year (2022–23), the imported amount was 0738 billion kWh.

Data from PGCB (Power Grid Company of Bangladesh) shows that BPDB is currently importing up to 92 MW of electricity at peak hours under the Tripura deal.