Technical body formed to prepare draft MoU

The government has formed a technical committee to prepare a draft memorandum of understanding (MoU) on the trilateral energy collaboration among Bangladesh-Bhutan and India.
"The government has formed a technical committee to fix up the modality of the draft MoU on the trilateral energy collaboration among the three countries within next 35 days," a senior official of the Power Division told the Daily Observer on Tuesday.
Representatives from the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources, Foreign Ministry, Bangladesh Power Development Board and Bangladesh Bank sat on Tuesday and urged the Foreign Ministry to take initiative in this regard as soon as possible.
On November 27, 2014,
member states of SAARC signed a framework agreement for energy cooperation with the declared objective of creating a regional energy market and enhancement of cross-border electricity trade.
In an initial talk, Bangladesh and Bhutan discussed on the proposed 1,125MW Dorjilung hydropower project in the Lhuentse district in 2014.
The dam will be located about seven kilometres downstream of Autsho at a place called Rewan. It will be about 135m high from the deepest foundation. A head-race tunnel of 11m diameter will carry the water to the powerhouse at the confluence of the Kurichhu and Shongarchhu.
The project is estimated to cost about $1.24 billion at the November 2015 price. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina approved $1 billion for the project.
However, the money will be equity investment in the project, and Bangladesh will get a proportionate share of the production from the project.
After 2014, the tri-party collaboration issue was discussed/ The Foreign Ministry will start talks with Bhutan and India to fix up the modality of the proposed draft MOU, Power Division official said.
During visit of Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali in Bhutan and Bhutanese Foreign Minister to Bangladesh, both the countries agreed to work with the hydropower project.
Both Bangladesh and Bhutan requested India to be the part of the cooperation as a corridor is needed for power supply. Meanwhile, India has agreed to Bangladesh's proposal to invest in the project and provide transit for transmission of electricity from Bhutan.
Bhutan has a target of producing 10,000MW of hyrdropower by 2020. Pandemic has slowed down the pace of the project.
Currently four mega projects are underway with the 1,120 MW Punatsangchu project built with Indian support and the energy exported to India.