BD-India JSC meeting on power Thursday

A meeting of Bangladesh-India Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on power sector development begins in New Delhi on Thursday. At the 2-day meeting, Bangladesh will place a joint survey report on its proposed import of 100 MW power from Palatana Power Plant in India’s Tripura state. Power Division sources said both Dhaka and Delhi jointly conducted a study to asses the needs for new infrastructures to be developed to import 100 MW of electricity from Palatana as per decision of the last JSC meeting held in Dhaka in April. Officials said the state-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB) and Power Grid Corporation of India Limited (PGCIL) carried out the joint feasibility study in the last few months and compiled the study findings. ‘The report is likely to be placed at the JSC meeting scheduled for October 9-10,’ said Power Division’s joint secretary Anwar Hossain. Officials hoped that Palatana power will be cheaper than that of the 500 MW being imported from Indian eastern grid as the production cost of Palatana Plant is much lower because of its gas-burnt electricity. Of the existing 500 MW power, Bangladesh imports half of it from Indian public sector at a rate of nearly Tk 4.50 while the rest is bought at about Tk 6.50 per unit. The officials informed that the tariff issue is expected to be discussed and determined at the JSC meeting, according to UNB.