- Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura
The Indo-Bangla pact on power export through Tripura was recently signed in presence of Tripura State Electricity Corporation (TSEC) MD Dr MS Kele, CEO of National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Praveen Saxena and Power Secretary, Government of Bangladesh at Dhaka.
In a major development, the Government of India (GoI) and the People’s Republic of Bangladesh (GoB) has signed this tripartite supplementary agreement in Dhaka under which TSECL will supply 160 MW+20 percent which is a maximum of 192 MW to Bangladesh instead of earlier 160 MW.
According to the modified terms and conditions of the agreement, the tariff for this supply for the first Contract year would be Rs 6.27/kWh and the trading margin to NVVN will be of Ps 01/kWh with effect from March 17, 2021 with fixed year on year escalation of 2 percent per year.
Earlier, both the countries had agreed for power trading between Bangladesh and India at a mutually agreed price and procedure by a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) made on January 11, 2010.
The Ministry of Power, Government of India designated NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN) as “Nodal Agency” for cross border trading of power with Bangladesh from Tripura State Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).
Initially, an agreement was signed among the parties namely– TSECL, NVVN and BPDB (Bangladesh Power Development Board) for a quantum of 100 MW of power in March 2016 which was subsequently extended to 160 MW. This agreement expired on March 16, 2021.
In the 19th Joint Working Group or Joint Steering Committee meetings on Indo-Bangladesh Co-operation in Power Sector between Bangladesh and India held on January 23, 2021 at Dhaka, Bangladesh, it was decided that the contract may be extended provided the tariff, terms & conditions, tenure and quantum of power are acceptable to both the parties.
Accordingly, under the guidance of Deputy Chief Minister of Tripura Jishnu Dev Varma, the then Secretary (Power) Kiran Gitte, IAS, and Managing Director, TSECL Dr. MS Kele negotiated with the Bangladesh counterpart finalized the modified terms and conditions of the agreement for a period of another five years w.e.f. March 17, 2021 to March 16, 2026 after four meetings among the stakeholders.
Dr MS Kele, MD, TSECL and Praveen Saxena, CEO, NVVN represented India and Secretary (Power), GoB and Director, BPDB represented Bangladesh and signed this tripartite supplementary agreement on December 2, 2021 in Bangladesh.
This Supplementary Agreement will be an integral part of the earlier Power Sale Agreement which was executed on March 18, 2016. The agreement can further be extended on mutually agreed terms and conditions in the future.
“This agreement is not only a unique precedent of Indo-Bangla friendship but also a part of celebrations to mark the platinum jubilee of India’s independence ‘Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and Bangladesh’s golden jubilee of independence ‘Suborno Joyonti’,” a press statement from TSECL informed.
