Govt to buy 500MW power from Nepal

Tariff to be fixed soon: Power secy

The government is going to import electricity from Nepal through an Indian power generation company at a cost of Tk. 6.4284/kilowatt-hours (kWh). The NTPC’s Vidyut Vypar Nigam (NVVN) Limited, will supply 500MW of electricity from the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal, said sources in the Power Division. Already, the Power Division has prepared a proposal to finalise the tariff of the proposed electricity from NVVN. It would be placed at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Purchase today (Wednesday), the sources said. To import the hydropower from Nepal through a cross-country grid via India, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) already signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NVVN in 2017.

In the proposal, Power Division senior secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus said that it would be possible to import that amount of electricity within five to six years for a period of 25 years from the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal. The project is  being implemented by NVVN to produce 900MW of hydropower.

“A committee has been formed to finalise the power sale agreement (PSA). It has finalised the power tariff, which has been approved at a board meeting of the BPDB,” the proposal says. “About Tk. 38,160.75 crore have to be paid to the Indian

power generation company for importing electricity from Nepal for 25 years,” it adds. Talking to The Independent, Dr Ahmad Kaikaus said they would sign an agreement with the Indian company soon after getting the approval from the purchase committee in this regard. “It will help us meet the demand for electricity after importing electricity from Nepal,” he said.

Currently, Bangladesh imports 500MW of electricity from India’s Bahrampur and 150MW from Tripura.

The government has taken up several projects to provide electricity to everyone’s doorstep by 2021 by setting up power stations in keeping with the promise made by the ruling Awami League (AL). The aim is to generate 24,000MW of electricity by 2021 and 40,000MW by 2030. At present, 90 per cent of the population has access to electricity, claimed the Power Division senior secretary. The power generation capacity of the country is currently about 22,329MW and would reach 24,000MW by 2021.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced on November 14 this year that all upazilas would come under hundred per cent electricity coverage within ‘Mujib Borsho’. Construction work is already underway to set up the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the country’s first nuclear power station designed to produce 2.4GW of power. The first two units of the RNPP are expected to start operations in 2023.

MK

 

 

 

 

Govt to buy 500MW power from Nepal

Tariff to be fixed soon: Power secy

The government is going to import electricity from Nepal through an Indian power generation company at a cost of Tk. 6.4284/kilowatt-hours (kWh). The NTPCs Vidyut Vypar Nigam (NVVN) Limited, will supply 500MW of electricity from the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal, said sources in the Power Division. Already, the Power Division has prepared a proposal to finalise the tariff of the proposed electricity from NVVN. It would be placed at the meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Purchase today (Wednesday), the sources said. To import the hydropower from Nepal through a cross-country grid via India, the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) already signed a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with NVVN in 2017. In the proposal, Power Division senior secretary Dr Ahmad Kaikaus said that it would be possible to import that amount of electricity within five to six years for a period of 25 years from the Upper Karnali Hydropower Project in Nepal. The project is being implemented by NVVN to produce 900MW of hydropower. A committee has been formed to finalise the power sale agreement (PSA). It has finalised the power tariff, which has been approved at a board meeting of the BPDB, the proposal says. About Tk. 38,160.75 crore have to be paid to the Indian power generation company for importing electricity from Nepal for 25 years, it adds. Talking to The Independent, Dr Ahmad Kaikaus said they would sign an agreement with the Indian company soon after getting the approval from the purchase committee in this regard. It will help us meet the demand for electricity after importing electricity from Nepal, he said. Currently, Bangladesh imports 500MW of electricity from Indias Bahrampur and 150MW from Tripura. The government has taken up several projects to provide electricity to everyones doorstep by 2021 by setting up power stations in keeping with the promise made by the ruling Awami League (AL). The aim is to generate 24,000MW of electricity by 2021 and 40,000MW by 2030. At present, 90 per cent of the population has access to electricity, claimed the Power Division senior secretary. The power generation capacity of the country is currently about 22,329MW and would reach 24,000MW by 2021. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had announced on November 14 this year that all upazilas would come under hundred per cent electricity coverage within Mujib Borsho. Construction work is already underway to set up the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant (RNPP), the countrys first nuclear power station designed to produce 2.4GW of power. The first two units of the RNPP are expected to start operations in 2023. MK