Tripura to supply 100 MW of power to Bangladesh

The Tripura Government is putting all possible efforts to complete the power transmission line to Bangladesh to supply power.

The engineers and workers of the Power Grid Corporation of India Limited are working round the clock to set up the 47 km transmission line from Western Tripura to southern Comilla in Bangladesh.

India will ensure supply of additional 100 MW electricity to Bangladesh from December 16, when the country will celebrate Bijoy Dibosh or Victory Day.

Eighteen km of this line and 67 of the 143 transmission towers fall in the Indian Territory.

"The Government of India, including the state government, instructed that it (transmission line) should try to be completed within December 16 because it is an auspicious day of Bangladesh that is Bangladesh Bijoy Dibosh. It shall operate on that day and then power can be through," said M K Chowdhury, Director Technical, Electricity Corporation Limited (TSECL).

The 100 MW would be in addition to 500 MW that Bangladesh is presently receiving from West Bengal.

The Tripura Government has decided to export 100 MW to Bangladesh from its share of 196 MW power from the Palatana power plant in reciprocation of Dhaka allowing Tripura to use its ports to transport the heavy equipment for the 726 MW Palatana project.

"We are working in two shifts from 7 am till 9 pm and in this connection I am really getting all the help from the state government of Tripura here, everybody right from the DM and power secretary as well as TSECL, particularly and the other engineers are all helping," said M. Hazarika, GM Project NE, PGCIL.

Pranab Kumar Ray, Chief Engineer (Systems Operation) PGCBDL, said the work is almost complete.

"The project was taken one year back. Now, the work is almost complete and the line is going to switch over on 16th December, 2015, and you know we are at the last moment of commissioning of the lines. So, we are doing fine tuning of the technical issues," he said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi discussed the power supply from Tripura with his counterpart Sheikh Hasina during his Dhaka visit in June this year.

Tripura's location and socio-economic linkages with Bangladesh makes the state a potential hub for trade with and through Bangladesh from the entire north-eastern region of India.