India, Nepal and Bangladesh are negotiating on a tripartite power trade agreement under which Nepal will be using India’s transmission line to supply up to 500 megawatts (MW) of hydropower to Bangladesh. This move if fructified will boost cross-border electricity trading in South Asia. India is looking forward to sell power to it neighbouring countries – Sri Lanka and Myanmar.
As per the negotiation underway, there are also plans to lay a dedicated transmission line connecting Nepal and Bangladesh via India. Nepal will supply hydropower using India’s high-voltage transmission line to Bangladesh. Initially, 50 MW will be supplied to Bangladesh by Nepal using India’s Baharampur-Bheramara cross-border transmission line. This 50 MW will be supplied from Nepal’s 900 MW Upper Karnali hydropower project.
In return, India expects Bangladesh to allow India to lay transmission lines for connecting its north eastern states.
As per news reports, officials negotiating the deal have identified two dedicated transmission corridors. The first is the Anarmari (Nepal)-Panchagarh (Bangladesh) corridor with a total length of 49 km, of which 24 km will be in India and the second is the Anarmari (Nepal)-Thakurgaon (Bangladesh) line with a length of 83 km, of which 33 km will be in the Indian territory.
India is already supplying power to Bangladesh through the Baharampur-Bheramara transmission line, and around 150-160 MW through the Tripura-Comilla grid interconnection project. Bangladesh is also getting electricity from Adani’s Godda (Jharkhand) thermal power plant.
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