Rampal plant likely to dominate Indo-Bangla power meet

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract signing of Rampal coal-fired power plant and Bangladesh’s potential joint venture investment in power sector are likely to dominate the upcoming meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on Bangladesh-India power sector cooperation, reports UNB.
The meeting is scheduled to take place on July 11 in Dhaka, said official sources at Power Division.
The JSC is a secretary-level platform which normally sits twice a year after every six months in the alternative venues between Dhaka and New Delhi. The last meeting of the JSC was held in November last year in New Delhi.
Days before of the JSC meet, both Dhaka and New Delhi will sit in a joint working committee meeting which is an additional secretary-level body to enhance the works for the JSC meeting.
Bangladesh Power secretary Monwar Islam will head the Bangladesh side at the meeting while Indian power secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari is expected to lead the Indian side. Official sources said the JSC meeting usually reviews the progress of different bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India.
They said if both sides agree, then the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract will be signed on July 12 as a meeting follow-up.
Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPC), which has been in charge of implementing the 1320 MW Rampal coal-fired power plant at a location close to the Sundarbans, has selected Indian company BHEL as EPC
contractor. But BHEL has been refusing signing contract making an extraordinary demand for giving duty waiver on the company’s equipment import, which delays the signing.
“Bangladesh will lay emphasis on joint venture investment in power sector in India and also cooperation between the two countries,” a top official at the Power Division told the news agency.
He informed that Bangladesh has already requested India to provide the names of potential sites for setting up power plant in joint venture in India like the Rampal plant.
Among the ongoing projects, he said, Bangladesh takes a move to import 500 MW electricity from Indian open market in addition to the present import of 500 MW through the Bheramara high voltage grid substation.
Bangladesh will also place a proposal at the meeting to import another 100 MW from Tripura in addition to the present 100 MW import, he added.
Power Division officials hinted that India may propose to set up joint venture power projects in sensitive areas in India like Tipaimukh and Farakkah. “But Bangladesh will not accept such proposal,” said the official.
Earlier, India proposed Bangladesh to use its corridor to transmit 6000 MW power from Indian eastern side to western side.

Rampal plant likely to dominate Indo-Bangla power meet

Engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract signing of Rampal coal-fired power plant and Bangladeshs potential joint venture investment in power sector are likely to dominate the upcoming meeting of the Joint Steering Committee (JSC) on Bangladesh-India power sector cooperation, reports UNB. The meeting is scheduled to take place on July 11 in Dhaka, said official sources at Power Division. The JSC is a secretary-level platform which normally sits twice a year after every six months in the alternative venues between Dhaka and New Delhi. The last meeting of the JSC was held in November last year in New Delhi. Days before of the JSC meet, both Dhaka and New Delhi will sit in a joint working committee meeting which is an additional secretary-level body to enhance the works for the JSC meeting. Bangladesh Power secretary Monwar Islam will head the Bangladesh side at the meeting while Indian power secretary Pradeep Kumar Pujari is expected to lead the Indian side. Official sources said the JSC meeting usually reviews the progress of different bilateral cooperation between Bangladesh and India. They said if both sides agree, then the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract will be signed on July 12 as a meeting follow-up. Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company Ltd (BIFPC), which has been in charge of implementing the 1320 MW Rampal coal-fired power plant at a location close to the Sundarbans, has selected Indian company BHEL as EPC contractor. But BHEL has been refusing signing contract making an extraordinary demand for giving duty waiver on the companys equipment import, which delays the signing. Bangladesh will lay emphasis on joint venture investment in power sector in India and also cooperation between the two countries, a top official at the Power Division told the news agency. He informed that Bangladesh has already requested India to provide the names of potential sites for setting up power plant in joint venture in India like the Rampal plant. Among the ongoing projects, he said, Bangladesh takes a move to import 500 MW electricity from Indian open market in addition to the present import of 500 MW through the Bheramara high voltage grid substation. Bangladesh will also place a proposal at the meeting to import another 100 MW from Tripura in addition to the present 100 MW import, he added. Power Division officials hinted that India may propose to set up joint venture power projects in sensitive areas in India like Tipaimukh and Farakkah. But Bangladesh will not accept such proposal, said the official. Earlier, India proposed Bangladesh to use its corridor to transmit 6000 MW power from Indian eastern side to western side.