Ambassador of Bangladesh to Nepal Salahuddin Noman Chowdhury has has said that his country is ready to support Nepal in production of electricity, its trade and development of transmission lines.
The ambassador made the remark during a courtesy visit to Minister for Energy, Water Resources and Irrigation Dipak Khadka at Singha Durbar in Kathmandu on Sunday (September 15), reported RSS, the state-owned news agency.
A tripartite agreement between the Nepal Electricity Authority, India's NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam (NVVN), and the Bangladesh Power Development Board was to be signed on July 28.
The agreement outlined that Nepal would sell 40 MW of electricity to Bangladesh at 6.4 US cents per unit during the six-month rainy season (from June 15 to November 15 each year) for the next five years.
But, it has been delayed following the political crisis in Bangladesh.
Minister Khadka said he was confident that an upcoming meeting among secretaries and joint secretaries of both countries will be fruitful. The meeting will discuss cooperation on large hydroelectric projects, agreement on cross-border transmission lines with the Indian side, and the initiation of electricity trade.
Khadka also said that he was assured of the Bangladeshi Embassy’s support in finalising procedures for signing a joint venture between the NEA and Bangladesh Development Board for the development of the 680-MW reservoir-based Sunkoshi hydel project.
Chowdhury also promised to help Nepal adopt a new technology in agriculture. Ministry officials including secretary Gopal Prasad Sigdel and senior energy expert Prabal Adhikari were present during the meeting.
RSS