The government has decided that the 100 MW power to be imported from Tripura will be supplied in the Comilla zone and preparations are underway to set up the connectivity system for the purpose.
Technical experts from both the countries are working to establish an aerial connectivity to transfer power from the Indian grid to local power sub-stations in Comilla zone.
As part of the plan, those local sub-stations will be de-linked from the country's national grid to turn Comilla into a localised electricity market, to be fed with Indian power, supplied from the Palatana power station in Tripura.
Director General of Power Cell under Ministry of Energy, Power and Mineral Resources Mohammad Hossain told the FE that a joint technical committee, comprising experts from India and Bangladesh, was working on the project.
"An assessment at the national level is in progress to determine how many and which sub-stations need to be de-linked from the national grid on Bangladesh side."
He said a technical team from India came to Dhaka just before the visit of Indian Foreign Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in June. The team also visited the Bangladesh-Tripura border at Comilla as part of marking the potential spots for electricity transfer.
A Bangladeshi technical team visited Kolkata immediately afterwards to exchange notes and hold further discussions to pave the way for finalising the cross-border transmission points.
"The joint technical committee is set to complete the final report in six months, while the electricity import is being expected within one year," he said.
"Since the volume of electricity, to be imported from Tripura, is not quite significant, establishment of a High Voltage Direct Connectivity (HVDC) sub-station has been ruled out by the joint technical committee."
"We have decided to use aerial connectivity system to transfer power from Tripura's Palatana power station to Comilla zone," he added.
India has agreed to sell 100 MW of power initially from the plant to Bangladesh in exchange for Dhaka's permission to transport heavy machinery for the power plant using the Ashugonj-Akhaura route.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar then approved Delhi's commitment in this regard, and arrangement is underway to make the cross-border power swap effective soon.
India and Bangladesh have earlier set up a high-powered sub-station, having the load handling capacity of 400 KV, at Bheramara in Kushtia and a similar facility at Bahrampur in West Bengal.
This line in the western section is carrying 500 MW of electricity from India to Bangladesh at the moment, while upgrading of the line is also in the cards.
