BD seeks Indian help under LoC

Bangladesh wants Indian cooperation in implementing power transmission infrastructures for evacuating power to be produced from Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant with the assistance of Indian third Line of Credit (LoC).
It (BD) also sought a credit from India to install a 130km cross-border Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline to import 66,000 metric tonnes (MT) of High Speed Diesel (HSD) equivalent to 30 rakes from Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL).
Earlier in 2016, Bangladesh sought Indian cooperation in implementing Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant Project, the first of its kind in the country, as the government feels there is a need for expert supervision to handle the mammoth task worth about Tk 160,000 crore.
"The issue would be place before the Executive Committee of the National
Economic Council (ECNEC) today (Tuesday) for approval," a senior official said.
To materialize the idea, Minister for Science and Technology Yeafes Osman and senior officials of the Indian government has been working together for last four years and signed a tripartite agreement.
"We are going to take a very unique and new culture here to produce energy. However, we need experts' suggestions and supervision to implement it as we do not have people with the required technical know-how here," Yeafes Osman told the Daily Observer.
"Power Grid Company of Bangladesh Limited (PGCB) under the Power Division will implement the project at an estimated cost of Tk 10,981.75 crore by 2023," an official said.
Out of the two units of the plant, the first unit having capacity of 1200 MW is expected to come into operation by October 2022 while the second unit also having 1200 MW capacity is expected to come into operation by 2023.
Of the total project cost of Tk 10,981.75 crore, the government will provide Tk 1,527.64 crore, the PGCB will provide Tk 1,235.07 crore while the rest of Tk 8,219.04 crore will come from the Indian third LoC, the official said.
The main project operations include erection of 609 kilometer 400 KV double circuit transmission line, construction of some 60 kilometer 230 KV Rooppur-Baghabari double circuit transmission line, and some 12 bay extensions.
The PGCB has already conducted a feasibility study for the project and based on the findings of that study, this project has been drafted.
Bangladesh also sought a credit from India to install a 130km cross-border Indo-Bangla Friendship Pipeline to import 66,000 metric tonnes (MT) of High Speed Diesel (HSD) equivalent to 30 rakes from Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL) in the period between May and December.
India will construct the pipeline, of which 125-km will be located in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation official said that the pipeline will be built within the next two years.
"Diesel will be imported through a cross-border pipeline from the Indian oil refinery, located at Golaghat in the north-eastern state of Assam. Bangladesh will receive the oil at Parbatipur petroleum depot in north-western district of Dinajpur."