Dhaka [Bangladesh], July 5 : Power supply from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian grid is a historical milestone in trilateral cooperation, said the Nepali Ambassador in Dhaka, late on Friday.
"Energy cooperation, which just ... a big milestone. We have started the first-ever trilateral power transactions from Nepal to Bangladesh through the Indian grid, started with 40 megawatt of hydro-electricity", Ghanshyam Bhandari, Ambassador of Nepal in Bangladesh, told the reporters during a reception.
"The fact that we signed the historic tripartite deal between Nepal, Bangladesh and India on the third of October, 2024", he added.
"The trial run between our two countries started on November 15. After that, 40 MW of electricity is flowing from Nepal to Bangladesh through transmission lines of India", Bhandari said.
Bangladesh's current electricity demand is 11,588 megawatts. Of this, Bangladesh imports 1,400 megawatts from India's Adani Group.
In a press statement by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in November last year, it was noted that Union Minister for Power and Housing & Urban Affairs, Manohar Lal, had jointly inaugurated the power flow from Nepal to Bangladesh, along with Md. Fouzul Kabir Khan, Adviser, Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Government of Bangladesh and Dipak Khadka, Minister of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Nepal, through a virtual event hosted by the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Government of Nepal.
The historic occasion marked the first trilateral power transaction which has been carried out through the Indian grid.
As per the Ministry of External Affairs, the Government of India had announced its decision to facilitate the first trilateral power transaction from Nepal to Bangladesh, through Indian grid with an export of upto 40 MW of power during the visit of the former Prime Minister of Nepal, Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' to India from May 31 to June 3, 2023. During the visit, both sides expressed their commitment towards greater sub-regional cooperation, including in the energy sector, which would lead to increased inter-linkages between the economies for the mutual benefit of all stakeholders.
The MEA further added that subsequently, a tripartite power sales agreement between NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam, Nepal Electricity Authority and Bangladesh Power Development Board was signed on 3 October 2024 in Kathmandu.