Bangladeshi authorities have decided to import 40 megawatts of electricity from Nepal over the next five years, according to reports from Bangladeshi media. On June 11, a cabinet committee led by Bangladesh's Finance Minister Abul Hasan Mahmud Ali approved the purchase. Mahmudul Hossain Khan, Secretary of the Cabinet Division (Coordination and Reform), announced the decision, confirming the five-year electricity import plan, as reported by Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). The electricity will be transmitted from Nepal to Bangladesh through India's grid under a tripartite agreement involving the Bangladesh Power Development Board, Nepal Electricity Authority, and India's NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN). India has expressed readiness for this arrangement.
The agreed-upon price for the electricity is 8.17 Bangladeshi Taka per unit. Nepal proposed this price to Bangladesh in December, with the Bangladeshi government subsequently finalizing its decision. A Nepal Electricity Authority official noted that following the Bangladesh Cabinet Committee's decision, Nepal anticipates commencing electricity exports to Bangladesh soon, ideally during the current monsoon season. A high-level meeting between the two countries is expected shortly to iron out the specifics.
Navin Singh, spokesperson for Nepal's Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation, had previously informed New Business Age that the next meeting of the joint mechanism—the Joint Secretary-level Joint Working Group (JWG) and the Secretary-level Joint Steering Committee (JSC)—is scheduled for June 23-24 in Pokhara. The official further mentioned that discussions at the meeting will focus on maximizing electricity exchange using existing transmission infrastructure.
