Tripartite deal to sell 40 MW power to Bangladesh finalised

KATHMANDU, OCTOBER 4: The much-anticipated tripartite power trade deal between Nepal, Bangladesh and India has finally materialized. This will facilitate Nepal to export 40 MW of hydroelectricity to Bangladesh via India in the monsoon.

The agreement was inked by Executive Director of Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) Kulman Ghising, Chairperson of Bangladesh's Power Development Board Mohammad Rezaul Karim and Chief Executive Officer of India's NVVN, the nodal agency, Renu Narang in the capital yesterday. It was signed in the presence of Nepal's Energy Minister Dipak Khadka and Bangladesh's Minister for Forest, Environment, Climate Change, and Water Resources Syeda Rizwana Hasan.  

Speaking on the occasion,  Minister Khadka, said the export of Nepal's hydroelectricity to Bangladesh through India’s transmission system marks a major milestone and is expected to open new avenues for energy trade in the future.

He noted that this agreement is a landmark achievement for Nepal's energy sector, as it represents the first instance of exporting Nepal's hydroelectric power to a third country. The successful outcome is a result of six meetings of the joint task force and joint steering committee held after the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Nepal and Bangladesh in 2018, followed by continuous efforts thereafter, according to Minister Khadka

Similarly, Bangladesh's Minister Syeda Rizwana Hasan, remarked that the tripartite agreement is a historic milestone for energy cooperation in South Asia.

Likewise, the Indian Ambassador to Nepa reiterated India’s commitment to promoting sub-regional power cooperation in South Asia.

 

As per the deal, the NEA is expected to supply power to India's NVVN and then the Indian company will transmit power to Bangladesh via the 400 KV capacity cross-border transmission line.      

Exporting 25 megawatts of power from Trishuli Hydropower Project and 22 megawatts from Chilime Hydropower Project is the planning of the NEA.      

Power will be sold to Bangladesh for five months beginning June 15 to November 15 during the monsoon season.   The NEA has set the price of power at Rs 9.30 per unit.