Transmission lines ready three months early, but deal stucks
100MW power from Tripura
UNB
Bangladesh has fully completed construction of a high voltage transmission line to import 100 MW electricity from Palatana power plant in the Indian state of Tripura, reports UNB.
The neighboring nation promised to export the 100 MW power as Bangladesh helped in build the 700 MW Palatana power plant by allowing shipment of equipment through Bangladesh territory without charging any tax or transit fee.
But electricity from Indian north-easternern state is not coming until a power purchase agreement is signed between Dhaka and New Delhi.
According to official sources, initially there was a plan by the governments of Bangladesh and India to sign the PPA to start power trade between the two next door neighbours from December 16 to mark the Bangladesh Victory Day.
But this did not happen due to incomplete construction of transmission lines on the Indian side, said a senior official at Bangladesh Power Ministry, adding that still 20 percent of the total works remained unfinished.
However, the state-owned Power Grid Company of Bangladesh completed the transmission line construction works three months before the target.
The construction works of HT lines were scheduled to be completed by next March. But weve finished our job by mid of December and successfully conducted test run of the 47 km transmission lines, Masum-Al-Beruni, Managing Director of PGCB, told UNB on Sunday.
The 47 km transmission line is divided into two parts-a 28 km line with 400kV capacity from Indian border to North Substation in Comilla and a 19 km line with 132kV capacity from Comilla North Substation to Comilla South Substation.
Al Beruni said that the PGCB had to spend about Tk 200 crore to build the 47 km transmission lines and associated facilities including substations.
PGCB officials said the transmission line was kept operative for its safety so that the costly conductors remain secure from theft.
