More electricity from India
The government is going to import 600 megawatt more power from India to meet the country's demand for electricity.
The Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) yesterday approved two projects that would cost Tk 1,600 crore for setting up gridlines for importing the electricity.
Of the power to be imported, 500 MW would come from Bahrampur in Indian state of West Bengal.
For this purpose, the Ecnec has also okayed a Tk 1,405-crore project for increasing interconnection between Bheramara in Bangladesh and Bahrampur. The project is set to be completed by June 2018 with the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) assistance of Tk 845 crore.
Under the project, a 12-kilometre Bheramara-Ishwardi 230 KV double circuit transmission line would be constructed.
The Ecnec also approved another project “Tripura (India)-Comilla south substation (Bangladesh) grid interconnection project” that would cost Tk 179 crore for importing 100 MW electricity from the Indian state of Tripura.
The project is set to be completed by June 2016.
The proposal also said another 250 MW electricity would be imported through the grid in future, adding, India and Bangladesh had agreed about the import of the power at several meetings.
Both the sides have put emphasis on building the infrastructure by December this year for setting up the gridline.
The country has been importing 500 MW of electricity from India since October 2013 through the grid interconnectivity between Bahrampur and Bheramara.
The average price for a kilowatt-hour of electricity from India is nearly Tk 6 per unit including transmission cost.
The Ecnec meeting held with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the chair also gave nod to a project for building a land port road at Roumari-Tura at a cost of Tk 35 crore. The aim of the road is to increase sub-regional trade.
The committee also okayed revised 'Health, Population and Nutrition Sector Development Programme (HPNSDP)' involving Tk 51,082 crore, downsizing it from original cost of Tk 56,993 crore.
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