Bangladesh to examine power import deal with India

DHAKA - The Bangladesh government formed a committee Monday to review a deal signed earlier with India on open-ended import and export of electricity, before ratifying the deal for power purchase from the larger neighbour, an official said.

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith, Planning Minister A.K. Khandaker and Moshiur Rahman, finance advisor to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed, were given responsibility to examine the memorandum of understanding signed during the premier’s January visit to New Delhi, Hasina’s press officer Abul Kalam Azad said.

Once the deal is ratified, the Bangladesh Power Development Board and India’s Thermal Power Corporation will sign a contract on the import, Azad said after a weekly meeting of the council of ministers, noting that the government had decided to increase domestic power generation alongside imports from neighbouring countries.

Energy-starved Bangladesh presently produces a maximum of 4,200 megawatts of electricity against demand of 6,000 megawatts.

Hasina had recently said her government would import 500 megawatts from India. The government was also pursuing energy cooperation with nearby Bhutan and Nepal.

In a recent statement, Hasina outlined that her government would be able to add more than 9,000 megawatts of electricity in both public and private sectors by 2015.