Tripura set to supply extra 60 MW to Bangladesh

Agartala, April 6 (IANS) Tripura is ready to supply an additional 60 MW of power to Bangladesh. The transmission is likely to start during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's four-day visit to India, a Minister said here on Thursday."We are ready to supply the additional 60 MW power to Bangladesh. Our engineers have tested the transmission lines... and given an okay," Tripura Power and Transport Minister Manik Dey told IANS.

He said: "Since last week, on experimental basis additional electricity was supplied to Bangladesh for several days. Formal supply of power is likely to start during Hasina's visit that begins on Friday." Tripura has been supplying 100 MW of electricity to Bangladesh since March 23, 2016, in addition to the 500 MW the country is receiving from West Bengal since 2013.According to the Minister, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd (NVVN) and Tripura State Electricity Corporation Ltd (TSECL) are the two nodal agencies who will coordinate supply of electricity to Bangladesh.

The NVVN is a subsidiary of state owned National Thermal Power Corporation and TSECL is a Tripura government owned body.Hasina is scheduled to visit New Delhi from April 7 to 10."Officials of India and Bangladesh governments met in Dhaka on March 17 and finalised technical and other issues realted to this extra electricity supply," a TSECL official told IANS.

"Bangladesh has sought additional 100 MW electricity from India to solve its power crisis in the eastern part of the country. As Tripura government was ready to provide this additional power... India informed Bangladesh accordingly," Dey said."Considering their existing technical feasibility now, they would take 60 MW electricity," he added.

A 47-km double circuit transmission line was erected, linking the power grid at Surjyamaninagar in western Tripura to the Comilla power grid in eastern Bangladesh, to supply electricity to the neighbouring country.Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Sheikh Hasina along with Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on March 23, 2016, launched the supply of 100 MW power through video-conferencing from their offices in New Delhi, Dhaka and Agartala.

Dey said that Tripura had already become a power-surplus state. "If we supply additional power to Bangladesh we will be able to earn extra revenue."During his visit to Dhaka on June 6-7 in 2015, Modi had discussed with Hasina power supply possibility from Tripura.Modi had declared that India would eventually enhance the power supply to Bangladesh to 1,100 MW.

A TSECL official said that a Memorandum of Understanding on power sector cooperation between India and Bangladesh was signed in 2010. Currently 500 MW of power is transferred through the Bherampur-Bheramara inter-connection in the West Bengal border and another 100 MW through the Surajmani Nagar (Agartala) - Comila interconnection.