Bangladesh mulls power import from India: report

Bangladesh, which is faced with a major power shortage problem, has witnessed violent protests demanding regular power supply.

Bangladesh could import electricity from India to overcome the acute power shortage in the country, a report said on Thursday.

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Quoting Energy Ministry sources, the Daily Star newspaper said today that the caretaker government of Fakhruddin Ahmed has already formed an expert committee to review the power import proposal as part of its priority to overhaul the sector in order to cut load-sheddings during the coming summer months.

Ahmed had asked the Energy Ministry last Monday to look into a comprehensive energy plan for 2007 to plug the massive energy shortfall, the newspaper said.

Meanwhile, the government signed a Taka 1,133 crore deal with India's Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) to build a 240 MW power plant in the country.

BHEL will complete the project by December 2008. The plant will have two units of 120 MW generation capacity each.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will provide $109.864 million (about Taka 769.048 crore Taka) for the project.

Power and Energy Advisor Tapan Chowdhury, Indian High Commissioner Pinak Ranjan Chakravarty, Power Secretary AKM Zafarullah were present on the occasion on Wednesday here.

This is the first major deal by the caretaker government. "The caretaker government will sign some more contracts in the power sector," Adviser Tapan Chowdhury was quoted by the paper.