The Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) plans to finalize the export of electricity to Bangladesh from its 25 MW Trishuli and 22 MW Chilime hydropower projects. These projects, were created using an Indian grant. It has received export approval in India.An NEA official stated that, the Bangladesh Power Development Board has sent a letter to NEA instructing them to initiate the process of finalizing power trade agreements.
The deal is, over the next five years, the NEA will sell 40 megawatts of electricity to Bangladesh during the rainy season, which runs from June 15 to November 15. The NEA will get a fee of 6.40 US cents per unit of electricity.
The electricity would be transferred from Nepal to India through the Dhalkebar-Muzaffarpur 400 kV transmission line. The pricing point for this deal is Muzaffarpur, and the NEA will cover any technical leakage from Dhalkebar to Muzaffarpur, while Bangladesh will cover any cost after Muzaffarpur substation. The 400 kV transmission line connecting Bahrampur (India) and Bheramara (Bangladesh) will send electricity from Muzaffarpur to Bangladesh.
NEA MD Ghising declared that Bangladesh will manage all taxes and levies, including transmission line fees, leakages, and NVVN’s trading margins after the Muzaffarpur point. The electricity price at the Bangladesh border will be approximately 7.6 cents per unit.
NEA will now sign a tripartite agreement with the Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) to finalize the deal. NEA will have to send a bid acceptance letter to BPDB within seven working days. BPDB will provide the authority with a draft of the electricity sale agreement. The deal must be finalised within 28 days after receiving the draft.
The project is a big step forward in regional electricity commerce, indicating future collaboration and expansion in the sector.
Also read: Record-Breaking 55,979 Tourists Visit Khumbu Region in 11 Months
