The cabinet committee on public purchase has approved the import of 250MW of electricity from India’s open market, which may begin within this year. The Power Trading Corporation (PTC) India Limited will supply the electricity to Bangladesh for three years from the power plants in West Bengal and the eastern region at a tariff rate of Tk6.34, with Tk0.31 wheeling charge per unit. The nod came Sunday at the committee’s meeting with Finance Minister AMA Muhith in the chair. After the meeting, Additional Cabinet Secretary Nurul Karim told reporters: “The power division tabled the proposal for purchasing electricity from India and the meeting approved it.” A top official of the Power Division, who asked to remain anonymous, said the PTC India Ltd, one of India’s state-owned power trading agencies, won the bid also contended by Vidyut Vyapar Nigam Limited (NVVN). The NVVN’s proposal was not considered due to “non-responsive bidding.” A Power Development Board official said this would be the first time Bangladesh imports power by opening letters of credit. Bangladesh undertook the project to import electricity from India to reduce the country’s power crisis. A memorandum of understanding was signed between Dhaka and New Delhi during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit to Delhi in January 2010.
Friday, June 05, 2026
