Talks with India, Nepal on power corridor this month

A 13-member delegation, led by the Power Division Senior Secretary Dr Ahmed Kaikaus, will visit New Delhi and Kathmandu to discuss "power transmission corridor" issues. Transmission of electricity from one to another part of India using Bangladesh and from Nepal to Bangladesh using the Indian territory.
"The issue to allow India to transmit 3,000 MW of electricity from Indian north-eastern region to eastern region using Bangladesh as a corridor is likely to dominate the Joint Steering Committee meeting scheduled to be held on December 20 and 21 at New Delhi," a senior official of the Power Division told the Daily Observer on Thursday.
He said the team will fly on December 19 to New Delhi and later to Kathmandu from there.
"We will also discuss Bangladesh's plan to import power from Nepal and Bhutan using the Indian territory with Indian Power Secretary Sanjeev Nandan Sahai. The team will fly from India to Nepal to discuss the GMR power project and other power related cooperation issues (on December 23 and 24) there.
'The technical committee on Bangladesh-India power sector cooperation has finalised a draft in this regard, however, we will discuss the issue for narrowing down the gaps and review the detail of the report," a senior official of the Power Division told this correspondent on Thursday.
Earlier, Bangladesh and India agreed on the extension of further cooperation in the power sector which is likely to allow India to transmit 3,000 MW of electricity from its north-eastern region to eastern region using Bangladesh as a corridor. And the Indian side also agreed with the Bangladesh plan to import power from Nepal and Bhutan using the Indian territory.
"Wide ranging issues for cooperation in the power sector will be discussed in the meeting. The committee members will review the progress of the Rampal coal-fired power plant, import of power from Nepal and India by Bangladesh, the establishment of joint venture power plants by private sector in India and the import of more power from India through Bheramara and Cumilla borders�.these are the agendas of the meeting," he added.
According to the official the Bangladesh-Nepal Joint Steering Committee (JSC) meeting will discuss the ways to enhance cross-border energy cooperation and promote investment in 20 projects in Nepal's (which was identified by the Joint Technical Committee) hydro power in future.
Bangladesh has expressed interest to buy 9,000 MW of electricity from Nepal by 2040, according to the Power Division.
"The second JSC meeting discussed four specific issues that include (a) allowing corporate investment in hydro projects, (b) enhancing energy trade and investment (c) grid connectivity incorporating India as a party and (d) increase cooperation in sharing knowledge in power efficiency programme and investment in renewable energy in Nepal," a senior official earlier said.
Bangladesh, Nepal and GMR Group of India, have been working to materialize a 500 MW of electricity export to Bangladesh from Nepal's Upper Karnali Hydropower Project for the last seven years. Meanwhile, Dhaka and Kathmandu have already signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for cooperation in the development of the power and energy sector.
Promotion of G-to-G and private sector investments, grid connectivity, power efficiency and investment in renewable energy issues will be also discussed, the official added.
Bangladesh also signed a preliminary contract with an Indian company, GMR Energy, to import electricity from its power project in Nepal.