Bangladesh to get 20pc more power from Tripura

Despite having sufficient production capacity to meet the domestic demand, the country will buy 20 percent more electricity from an Indian supplier as part of a renewed power import deal.

The country will purchase 192MW of power per day, up from 160MW earlier, from Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL) as per the supplementary agreement signed on December 2.

Power Secretary and Director of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) represented Bangladesh while TSECL Managing Director MS Kele and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) CEO Praveen Saxena represented India and signed the renewal agreement in Dhaka, reports our New Delhi correspondent.

According to the energy division, Bangladesh has an installed capacity of producing 21,435 MW per day power and a de-rated capacity (the amount it can generate) of 20,934 MW per day.

The demand during peak hours on December 3 was 8,300 MW, according to BPDB data.

The highest single day demand for power this year was 13,018 MW on April 3.

The new agreement came into effect from March 17, 2021 and will be in force till March 16, 2026, according to the officials.

The tariff for this supply for the first contract year shall be 6.27 rupees/kWh and trading margin to NVVN will be of 0.01 rupees/kWh with a fixed increase of two percent per year, reports The Economic Times of India.

The modified terms and conditions of the agreement were finalised after four meetings between the stakeholders, according to officials involved with the deal.

Bangladesh had earlier signed an agreement with India to purchase 100 MW power from TSECT on January 11, 2010 that had subsequently increased to 160MW. The agreement had expired on March 16, 2021.

The country has been importing electricity from India since September 2013, including 1000 MWfrom West Bengal through the Bheramara border.