KATHMANDU, AUGUST 25
During a meeting of the secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC) formed for energy cooperation between Nepal and Bangladesh held today, agreement was reached to export 40 MW to 50 MW of energy to Bangladesh.
Other significant achievements of the energy talks included exploring the possibility of investment by the government and private sector of both countries for the development of the energy sector, Nepal-Bangladesh dedicated transmission line, and export of 500 MW of electricity generated from Upper Karnali to Bangladesh.
The meeting was led by Secretary of Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, Shushil Chandra Tiwari from Nepali side, and Secretary of Ministry of Electricity, Energy and Mineral Resources Mohammad Habibur Rahman from Bangladesh side.
The two sides agreed to hold a tripartite meeting between Nepal Electricity Authority, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN) of India and Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) for construction of Nepal-Bangladesh dedicated transmission line. Also, it has been decided that Nepal will provide environmental study report of Sunkoshi-III to Bangladesh, after which the latter will make a concrete and quick decision regarding the project.
Bangladesh also expressed interest to invest in 683-megawatt Sunkoshi-III Semi-Reservoir Project in the Sunkoshi River on the border of Ramechhap and Kavre districts.
Similarly, the Sustainable and Renewable Energy Development Authority (SREDA) of Bangladesh will provide an understanding agreement to Alternate Energy Promotion Centre (AEPC) of Nepal for coordination in solar home systems and alternate energy production.
Discussions were also held to share experiences and capacity for building solar energy and hydropower projects. According to an official at the Ministry of Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation, the power sales and purchase agreement (SPA) of 500 MW of energy between BPDB, NVNN and GMR will also be concluded within September.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 26, 2022 of The Himalayan Times.
