Indian team due today

FE Report | Published: June 23, 2014 00:00:00 | Updated: November 30, 2026 06:01:00

An Indian power sector team arrives in Dhaka today (Monday) to hold discussions on setting up a transmission line for supplying 100 MW electricity to Bangladesh from the Palatana power plant in Tripura.
Both sides expected to implement the power supply plan by the year-end, official sources in Dhaka said.
India's Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) runs the Palatana plant. It is now producing 350 MW electricity, and will produce 350 MW more from this September.
The team will discuss the technical aspects of setting up the new connectivity gridline across the border through Akhaura point on Bangladesh side.
Director General of Power Cell under Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Hussain confirmed the scheduled meeting while talking to The Financial Express.
He said the joint technical committee-level meet was going to be held as part of the ongoing power sector cooperation programme between the two countries.
The discussion would mainly concentrate on setting up connectivity and synchronisation of power grids from both sides and using land-based power wheeling sub-stations, he added.
Power Cell officials said India was working on the plan to supply electricity from the Palatana plant to Bangladesh in compliance with its earlier pledge against Dhaka's permission to transport heavy power plant machinery to Tripura under a transit facility.
India shipped the equipment to Ashuganj and then it was transported to Palatana by road through Akhaura border point.
News reports said Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar told the Indian government that he had no objection to giving 'at least 100 MW' power from the plant to Bangladesh, and Delhi was going ahead with the plan accordingly.
Officials say if everything works smoothly, it may require six to eight months to set up the new gridline and start transmission of electricity to Bangladesh using the cross-border power connectivity.
India is already setting up a power grid station for the purpose and Bangladesh is also working on its own plan.
At present Bangladesh is getting 500 MW of electricity from India through Bheramara point in Kushtia on the western border with West Bengal.