India is considering Nepal's proposal to supply electricity to Bangladesh
New Delhi is considering proposals from Nepal and Bangladesh to sell power to Dhaka using Indian territory and infrastructure. If India agrees to the proposal, it is expected to further enhance sub-regional cooperation. This information was given in a report of the country's media outlet Economic Times on Saturday, quoting sources from India's electricity department.
Indian officials aware of the matter said that Nepal will initially export 50 MW of electricity to Bangladesh. This will add a major boost to Nepal's economic situation in the backdrop of the move to start selling electricity to India in 2021.
Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) said it has applied to Indian authorities for approval to export 40 to 50 MW of electricity to Bangladesh.
Officials of the power ministries of India and Nepal are likely to hold a meeting in New Delhi next month in this regard. Where they can negotiate a formal agreement to transport electricity from the Himalayan country to Bangladesh using Indian transmission lines and infrastructure.
The issue of Nepal-Bangladesh power transmission has been the subject of separate bilateral talks between India-Nepal and India-Bangladesh for over a year. Earlier, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had also raised the issue during her talks with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi in September last year.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina advocated a sub-regional cooperation in the power sector to emphasize Bangladesh's power trade with India, Nepal and Bhutan, officials said. Besides this, Bangladesh wants to build Sankoshi-3 power project in joint venture with Nepal.
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