The government is going to install a high-voltage transmission gridline up to Chapai Nawabganj frontier, as it has decided to import power from Indian state of Jharkhand, officials said on Monday.
The Power Grid Company of Bangladesh (PGCB) will lay a 28-kilometre-long 400-kilovolt (kV) transmission line from Rahanpur to Monakosha border of Chapai Nawabganj district at a cost of Tk 2.25-billion.
The gridline will be installed to import electricity from the under-construction 2X800 megawatts (MW) power plant in Jhrakhand, next to Chapai Nawabganj border, they also said.
The project is likely to be placed before the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (ECNEC) today (Tuesday), an official of the Planning Commission told the FE.
Currently, Bangladesh is importing 1,160 MW of electricity from India, of which 1,000 MW comes from West Bengal through Bhreramara substation and 160 MW from Tripura through Cumilla.
The PGCB official said soon after getting approval of the ECNEC, they will start the process of installing the 400-kV power grid line up to Monakosha.
An official of the Power Division said the Indian power generation giant - the Adani Group - is now working to set up a 2X800-MW thermal power station in Godda district under Jharkhand.
In August 2015, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the Adani Power and the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) after a joint declaration was issued during Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Dhaka in June 2015.
As per the MoU, the entire power to be produced at the plant would be supplied to Bangladesh.
The official said the Indian government will install the power gridline in their territory to connect with the proposed transmission line in Monakosha.
"This will be the third cross-border line for importing power from India. We are hopeful of getting a significant chunk of power from our neighbouring country through the line."
"We will have the option to use the cross-border transmission grid for importing power from Nepal and Bhutan also."
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