The government is likely to sign a power purchase agreement (PPA) with Indian private power trader PTC India Ltd within a few days to import 250 MW from October. This will be an addition to the 250 MW of power to be imported Indian under a government-to-government agreement signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd, a subsidiary of Indian state-owned NTPC (National Thermal Power Corporation). This means Bangladesh will import a total of 500 MW of electricity from India. Of this, 250 MW will come from the NTPC and the remaining 250 MW from private company PTC India. Official sources said the deal between PDB and VVN of NTPC was signed in February last year to get 250 MW power. The tariff of the power was initially determined at Rs 2.80 (approximately Tk 4.66) per kilowatt hour (each unit). But this tariff will finally be
determined by the Indian Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) considering the price of import-start time. Indian power tariff is set from time to time by the CERC.
Bangladesh’s Cabinet Purchase Committee in July approved this tariff of the PTC. Following the Cabinet body’s approval, both the PDB and the PTC initialed a power purchase deal.
The Power Division then sent the deal to the Law Ministry for legal vetting.
Meanwhile, the construction of a 117-km long high voltage transmission line from Bahrampur substation in Murshidabad of India to Bheramara grid substation of Kushtia in Bangladesh has been completed recently. Two high capacity grid substations in the two countries are also ready for power transmission.
Electricity will be transmitted at 400KV level under a deal between the Power Grid Company of India (PGCI) and the Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB).
-With The Independent input
