The project is estimated to be implemented with an investment of nearly Taka 1300 crore (nearly Rs800 crore) to be required for grid inter-connection.
Bangladesh and India have agreed on an agreement to install two 1320 megawatt coal-fired power plants in this energy-starved country as a joint venture, in line with a deal inked during prime minister Sheikh Hasina's New Delhi visit last month.
"We have agreed to sign a Memorendum of Understanding (MoU) to install the plant," power division M Abul Kalam Azad told newsmen at joint press briefing after talks with an Indian delegation led by his Indian counterpart H S Bharma yesterday.
Azad said the coal fired power plant would be installed on a 50:50 equity basis to be run on imported coal and operated by India's National Thermal Power Cooperation (NTPC).
He added that the MoU for the joint venture also included bilateral cooperation for human resource development and increased efficiency of power plants.
Bharma said India was keen to extend support for power sector development in Bangladesh as it was "promise bound to do it as per agreement" during the premier level talks.
The project is estimated to be implemented with an investment of nearly Taka 1300 crore (nearly Rs800 crore) to be required for grid inter-connection.
Both the secretaries were also co-chair of a steering committee on Bangladesh-India grid connectivity for power swapping, an issue which also largely dominated the talks, according to officials familiar with the meeting.
Bharma told newsmen that Bangladesh would get power from India as per the government rate which was determined by the Indian Energy Regulatory Commission.
"At present, the cost of per unit electricity ranges between 2.50 to 3.50 rupees depending upon the fuel," Azad said. He said the state-run Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) would float tender on February 28 to install a 48 kilometer 400 KV transmission line for the grid connectivity.
The development came after two days of meeting, the second one, of the Joint Steering Committee for Cooperation in the Power Sector on grid inter-connection and cooperation between the BPDB and NTPC.
Under last month's MoU, India agreed to offer 250MW from its central grid in the initial stage. Officials of the two countries earlier held two rounds of meetings in Dhaka and New Delhi ahead of the signing of the MoU while they estimated an investment of approximately Taka 1300 crore to be required for grid inter-connection.
They said of the amount Taka 1062 crore would be required for works in Bangladesh while an investment of Taka 240 crore would be spent in India. Power ministry officials said the deal suggested the state-run PDB to sell power to India when it would have surplus electricity.
"We identified at least four points for proposed interconnection but the Iswardi- Behrampur and Asuganj-Tripura are considered to be the most viable sites for the exchange project," Azad earlier told PTI.
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