500-MW power from India by middle of next year

Bangladesh is likely to import 500-MW electricity from India by middle of the next year.

This was revealed in the Jatiya Sangsad today while State Minister for Power, Energy and Mineral Resources M Enamul Haque replied to a question, tabled by treasury bench member Fazilatun Nesa Bappi, during the question answer session.

The state minister said an agreement was signed between Bangladesh Power Development Board and Indian NVVN to purchase 250-MW electricity from Indian government owned electricity
generation company NTPC.

"In this regard, 36 percent work on grid line on Bangladesh
part and 27 percent work on HVDC substation have been completed,"
he said adding that it is expected that the entire work would be
completed by June 2013.

Besides, tender has been floated to purchase more 250-MW from India, the state minister informed the House.

Replying to an another scripted question from treasury bench
member Moshtaque Ahmed Ruhi, the state minister said the government has provided electricity connection to 24,11,323 new subscribers in last three years. "Of the new connections, 73,229 have been made for irrigation purpose," he added.

After assuming power the present government has been able to add more 3,380-MW to the national grid, he said. grid.

The state minister said the government has taken a massive plan to produce more 13,000-MW electricity by 2016 to reduce the present load shedding to a tolerable level.

He said the government has also taken initiatives to set up
4,18,000 kilometers of transmission line to bring all villages under electricity network.

The tender process of installing five IPP (independent power
producers)- 50-MW in Narayanganj, 20-MW in Tangail, 50-MW in Manikganj, 50-MW in Nababganj and 50-MW in Munshiganj on the basis of build own operate (BOO) under Rural Electrification Board is underway.

The letters of intent have already issued in this regard and
it is expected that the power plants would be operational by November-December 2013, he said.