India to supply power to Bangladesh from 2012: Sharma

New Delhi, Oct 23 (PTI) India's Commerce Minister Anand
Sharma Saturday said India would start supplying electricity
to the neighbouring country Bangladesh from 2012.
India has agreed to supply 250 MW electricity from its
grid to the power-starved nation.
"There has been an agreement reached on bulk power
transmission between the two countries, which were signed in
July. We hope that the transmission of power as agreed earlier
will commence from 2012," Sharma said after a meeting his
Bangladeshi counterpart Muhammad Faruk Khan.
Only around 40 per cent of the Bangladeshi population
currently has access to electricity while the country now
witnesses a deficit of 1,000 to 1,500 mw power with 41 public
and private sector plants with de-rated capacity of 5,198 mw.
State-run NTPC in collaboration with Bangladesh Power
Development Board would establish two thermal power projects
at Chittagong and Khulna for mitigating the power shortages in
the neighbouring nation.
"Feasibility study of the two power projects would
commence soon," Sharma said.
A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the two
parties here in August for setting up two 1,320 MW each power
projects.
The power plants are likely to come up at an investment
of approximately Rs 13,200 crore. The coal-fired power plants
are likely to be installed on a 50:50 equity basis to be run
on imported coal and operated by NTPC.
NTPC will also provide training and development to human
resources of BPDB and enhancement of productivity and
efficiency of their existing power stations. PTI MEG
MHM