A multi-party accord has been achieved to enable the transfer of electricity from Nepal to Bangladesh. Government officials have described the agreement as a preliminary arrangement involving parties from Nepal, India, and Bangladesh.

The Ministry of Energy, Water Resources, and Irrigation has revealed that the initial phase will involve Bangladesh purchasing 40 megawatts of electricity from Nepal.

While the 40MW capacity might not be significant in terms of quantity, the decision carries symbolic importance. The act of exporting Nepal’s electricity to another country is itself a momentous step, as experts point out. Ganesh Karki, the President of Nepal’s Independent Power Producers’ Association, is among those considering this agreement a notable accomplishment.

The transmission of Nepal’s electricity to Bangladesh will be facilitated by India’s NVVN, which has been designated as the responsible agency by the Indian government.

Prabal Adhikari from the Nepal Electricity Authority has confirmed that the preliminary agreement regarding the electricity supply to Bangladesh was reached through email exchanges among the three nations. Pending issues related to the agreement are anticipated to be resolved soon.

The formal signing of the document is planned to take place in the presence of officials from all three countries in the near future.

The fifth meeting of the Nepal-Bangladesh energy secretary-level joint steering committee, held on May 16 in Bangladesh, established the intention to establish power trading relations between the two countries. The participants also agreed to move forward with the execution of the agreement involving the NEA, NTPC Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Ltd of India, and the Bangladesh Power Development Board.

Nepal is aiming to finalize the agreement by the final week of August as a gesture of bilateral power trade relations, with the objective of supplying monsoon-generated electricity to Bangladesh.

With inputs from RSS