India power import deplayed
on TPower import from India is being deferred by at least one month as the installation of cross-border transmission line to supply electricity to the national grid will take until July to complete, Parliament was toldhursday.
The import was scheduled to start by July this year.
State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Enamul Huq Khan told Parliament a 400-KV transmission line from Bahrampur of India to Bheramara of Bangladesh and a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) sub-station would be built by July.
Earlier in the day, Power Secretary Monwar Islam told a joint press conference after a meeting with his Indian counterpart that they were hopeful of starting the import on schedule on completion of the transmission and grid line installation.
Monwar’s predecessor Abul Kalam Azad had said in July last year that Bangladesh would start importing electricity from July 2013 to ease supply shortage.
During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to New Delhi in January 2010, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding with India for importing 500MW power to tackle energy crisis.
The Power Development Board an agreement with Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd or NVVN, a subsidiary of India's National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), on Feb 28 last year in New Delhi to import 250MW electricity.
The country is yet to sign any deal for buying the remaining 250MW from India’s private sector.
Indian Power Secretary P Uma Shankar told Thursday’s press conference that installation of infrastructure to supply power from India to Bangladesh was on progress.
He said per unit (kilowatt hour) power would cost Rs 2.40, equivalent to Tk 4, which excludes transmission expense.
The two countries also inked a deal on Jan 29 last year to set up Bangladesh’s biggest-ever power plant, having 1320MW generation capacity, at Rampal in Bagerhat.
India power import deplayed - bdnews24.com